Epic Games and YouTube have teamed up with a special offer for “Fortnite” players — giving players of the popular battle-royale game rewards when they watch “Fortnite”-premiered content on the video platform.
The catch: You have to watch at least 20 minutes of “Fortnite” special content or live esports broadcasts to receive the loot. Under the YouTube Drop promo, players will receive special “Fortnite” digital cosmetics rewards (which they can use in the game) when they link their YouTube and Epic accounts and then watch premieres on YouTube.
The partnership kicks off just ahead of Epic Games’ first Fortnite World Cup Finals, which will broadcast on YouTube next week. For the July 26-28 event in New York City, Epic invited the top 100 solo players and the top 50 duo teams from around the world to compete for a $30 million prize pool. Each player will be guaranteed at least $50,000 in winnings while the Fortnite World Cup Solo Champion will receive a $3 million purse.
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The first YouTube Drop will be for “Game Jam Hollywood,” which tells the story of a secret “Fortnite” event in Hollywood where 16 of the best Creative community builders came together and combined their powers to create brand new Creative games for the Fortnite World Cup Finals. The full-length video peremieres July 25 at 12:30 p.m. ET at youtube.com/fortnite/live.
Terms of the pact between Epic Games and YouTube weren’t disclosed. But the deal is mutually beneficial — promoting both “Fortnite” and pushing viewers to YouTube’s content for for the game. Epic has previously run similar promos with Amazon’s Twitch to drive live viewing.
The prize for viewers who watch “Game Jam Hollywood” will be Game Jam Spray, the same reward for those who watch Day 1 of the Fortnite World Cup Finals on July 26. The July 27 reward is World Cup Spray, while on July 28 the reward will be World Cup Spray and Red Line Wrap.
To link Epic and YouTube accounts, users must sign in to YouTube in a desktop browser. Under the “Accounts” menu, select “Settings” and under the “Connected accounts” section, select your Epic Games account. After clicking “Connect,” users must then sign in to their Epic Games account.