The Fortnite Live event was considered a failure by many attendees.
The UK-based company, Exciting Events, has been “forced… to cease all trading activities immediately” following an unsuccessful and unofficial Fortnite-themed event in Norwich.
As reported by the BBC, Fortnite Live was billed as the “Fortnite event of the year,” though it wound up angering parents who demanded refunds when it failed to live up to this promise. The festival consisted of a £12 ($16) entry fee, and additional £20 ($26) wristband for unlimited access to a single climbing wall tower for three people, a four-person archery range, four go-karts, and other activities.
Speaking to The Guardian, attendees likened the attractions to “the sort of thing you see at a school fete.” Photos from the event also show a “cave experience” that amounted to a truck trailer “no bigger than a car, with a tunnel through it.” There was also the opportunity for visitors to play the free-to-play game, but this was allegedly also a paid attraction. The festival attracted an estimated 3,000+ attendees.
Despite the negative press, Eurogamer reported that the head of Exciting Events, Shaun Lord, claims the “vast majority of children loved Fornite Live Norwich” and that the company was still committed to hosting two further Fortnite Live events “even after all of the national publicity and personal abuse and threats experienced by the directors and family of the business.”
Epic quickly made it known that it was not affiliated with the event, saying that it would be pursuing legal action as a result.
“The quality of our player experience is incredibly important to us, whether it’s inside the game or at official public events like last year’s Fortnite Pro-Am,” said an Epic Games spokesperson. “Epic Games was not in any way associated with the event that took place in Norwich and we’ve issued a claim against the organisers in the High Court of London.”
In the face of legal action, Exciting Events has announced that it has had to cease trading, and shut down two pre-booked Fortnite Live events. Its assets will be turned onto cash and portioned out between creditors and certain customers still awaiting refunds.
In other Fortnite legal battle news, read about Epic being sued by various parties for allegedly stealing dances for its emotes. One proceeding by The Fresh Prince’s Alfonso Ribeiro hit a major snag after the US Copyright Office called into question his attempt to claim the dance.
Shabana is a freelance writer who enjoys JRPGs, wine, and not finishing games. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
