Another year and Fortnite is stronger than ever.
In fact, I'd argue that Fortnite is in a better spot at the end of 2021 than it was heading into this year.
Ahead, we'll cover some of the standout performers of the year from pros to content creators to data miners pouring over the game files.
Epic Games
Pro player of the year: TaySon
It's hard to crown a GOAT Fortnite player without international LAN events, but it's even harder to argue that TaySon isn't the best player in the world.
At the very least, we can all agree that TaySon has stood out as the best Fortnite pro in 2021.
In 2021 alone, TaySon has been in the top three or won:
- JBL Quantum Cup
- Frosty Frenzy
- FNCS All-Star Showdown (solo)
- Grefg's Cup
- Gamers Assembly 2021
- DreamHack Open April
- FNCS C2S6
- FNCS Grand Royale
- 9 Cash Cups wins
1st place GRAND ROYALE LETS FCKING GOOOO ($600.000)@hentvv @ChapixFN love u boys best teammates
— Falcon TaySon (@taysonFN) November 21, 2021
4 fcking times bro 4 fcking times pic.twitter.com/mgPUN7HYPo
Biggest come-up: Dukez
Dukez, Userz, and Justice had a massive 2021.
The trio hadn't made any noise in major tournaments until this year, springing onto the scene and winning the Season 7 FNCS.
All three were breakout stars of the year, but Dukez was poached by Bugha and Mero, joining the super team and adding a Grand Royale win without his original trio.
1st Grand Royale $285k @bugha @MeroFN LETS GOOO pic.twitter.com/O5ww3Fz3by
— TNG Duke (@dukezfn) November 21, 2021
Grinder award: SypherPK
Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and SypherPK grinding Fortnite.
Many creators have come and gone throughout Fortnite's life, but Sypher is one of the few who has been there since the beginning.
To cap off a year of Fortnite streams, Sypher streamed for 100 hours during the Chapter 3 downtime and into the new season.
Analyst of the year: AussieAntics
Fans were upset to learn that AussieAntics lost his official casting spot after calling a griefer a "loser" on his Twitch stream
Thankfully, it was only a minor setback for a major comeback.
AussieAntics remains one of the most well-respected Fortnite analysts in the community, despite not appearing on the official broadcast since his removal.
If you want to get a closer look at pro players, team news, and more, take a look at his Twitter account, YouTube page, and Twitch stream.
Dropped from the official broadcast.
— NRG Aussie Antics (@AussieAntics) June 26, 2021
Going live in 5 minutes to explain why.
I will be doing a viewing party for NAE Solo FNCS Finals as well.
Comeback player of the year: Bugha
Bugha was among the original Fortnite GOATs as the modern competitive scene took shape. He's best known for winning the Fortnite World Cup, but never truly left the top of the game.
Despite constantly placing within the top of NA-East tournaments, you'd still see people saying "Bugha is washed" in Twitch chat and on social media.
In Chapter 2 Season 8, Bugha finally silenced critics with an FNCS win, teaming up with Mero and Muz. He added to his success in the Grand Royale months later, with another win.
1ST PLACE GRAND ROYALE FINALS ($285,000) @MeroFN @dukezfn
— Bugha (@bugha) November 21, 2021
THE GREATEST TO EVER DO IT BRO LETS GOOOOO pic.twitter.com/4qkFsSbZYw
Comeback creator of the year: Ninja
Things are always better when Ninja is playing Fortnite.
Ninja stayed away from the game for most of 2021. He played a bit to start the year but came back in a big way to end it.
You can probably log onto Twitch right now and see Ninja playing Fortnite.
Although people like CourageJD, DrLupo, and even xQc revisited Fortnite this year, Ninja was the biggest streamer to truly immerse himself into the game once again and stream it on a regular basis.
Leaker of the year: Hypex
If you're looking to stay up to date with all of the latest Fortnite leaks, there are several accounts to follow on Twitter.
ShiinaBR, iFireMonkey, and many others are always tweeting about the latest additions to Fortnite.
One account has stood above the others: Hypex.
The most well-known leaker almost always seems to have the information first and is worth a follow if you want just one Fortnite leaker on your timeline.
NEW UPCOMING SKINS!! (Sent via a recent Survey from Epic, thanks to @UNDER_SHADOWS_ for sending me the URL) pic.twitter.com/G3ByQRVyX0
— HYPEX (@HYPEX) December 15, 2021