A handful of Fortnite pros have banded together to form a players association

They want a unified voice when talking to Epic

As esports continue to grow and evolve, they keep running into new and unforeseen problems. For instance, pro Fortnite player Turner Tenney sued his organization, Faze Clan, earlier this year for alleged financial exploitation; Faze Clan filed a countersuit that alleged Tenney collected more than $20 million in streaming revenue and sponsorships, none of which was split with the organization.

Right now, it’s the wild west as far as professional representation goes. Players are left to fend for themselves in all aspects of their career, especially if they find themselves in the unfortunate position of disagreeing with their organization. A handful of Fortnite players have taken the first steps to giving pros a unified voice.

This morning, the Fortnite Professional Players’ Association was introduced — a union started by 16 pros across North America and Europe. Their goal is to have a direct line with Epic Games, essentially a productive platform to voice their opinions about the state of the competitive scene. The 16 founding members are all apart of the players association’s board. More pros will be invited to join the association in the coming weeks.

The aim for this union pales in comparison to the purpose of players associations in traditional sports. Take, for example, the National Football League Players Association. The NFLPA exists to represent players’ interests to both their teams and the league at-large with regard to: contract structuring, player/franchise revenue splits, player health concerns, and retirement benefit funding. This is far from exhaustive, as the collective bargaining agreement is complicated and extensive.

In its infancy, the Fortnite Professional Players’ Association merely asks for a seat at the table when it comes to changes in the game. That makes sense. Fortnite is their livelihood and their input should be considered when development alters gameplay at the highest level. It’s far from a union that represents all their interests, though. Eventually, esports will get there. This is a fine enough place to start.

Today, we announce the FNPPA, or the Fortnite Professional Players Association. pic.twitter.com/KFO5vj6htd

— Fortnite Professional Players’ Association (@FNPPA) October 4, 2019