For the second day in a row a teenager took home several million dollars after winning the Fortnite World Cup at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.
On Sunday, he didn’t even have either of his pregame ritual foods.”Today was pretty much shrimp, Powerade and also water,” Bugha said. His Mom Darcy said that Bugha became the first player to qualify for the World Cup Finals. That was the moment she realized that her son had a future in professional Fortnite.
All of Bugha’s family traveled to New York on the train from Philadelphia to support the 16 year old. He said that he could do this if he put his mind to it, and he did! Kyle Giersdorf, alias “Bugha,” became the first Fortnite world champion in the solo division, winning 3 million dollars at the age 16.
Originally from Pennsylvania, the young gamer took the lead in the first of six games and never looked back. “It’s insane,” the young millionaire said after the final, during which he scored almost double the points of his closest opponent (59 to 33).
Aside from the second of the six games, Bugha was remarkably consistent despite playing in his first world cup final, with millions of dollars on the line. “This morning he was about being worriless, energetic and having fun to make sure that he wasn’t stressed at all,” his best friend Colin Bradley told AFP after the final.
During the game, users are dropped onto an island where they must search for weapons and other resources while eliminating other players — all the while trying to remain alive. A sense of placement, a talent for building, brilliance in close combat and rock solid self-control — Bugha had it all in the final.
He is considered one of the smartest players, the true definition of a professional. Epic Games — Fortnite’s creators — have spent a whopping $100 million on the inaugural event, including staging 10 weeks of qualifying events, culminating in this weekend’s tournament.
Over the three-day tournament, Epic Games gave out some 30 million dollars in prize money. Every competitor is guaranteed to leave with $50,000, making them the envy of the schoolyard when they return home.
On Saturday, gamers using the pseudonyms “Nyhrox” and “aqua” became the first Fortnite world champions in the duo division, winning 1.5 million dollars apiece.
During Sunday’s final, the crown jewel of the tournament, three players in addition to Bugha also became millionaires: “Psalm” ($1.8 million), “Epikwhale” ($1.2 million) and Kreo ($1.05 million), all Americans.
Argentinian player Thiago Lapp, alias “King,” made a splash at only 13 years old.
After placing second during the “Creative Mode” final on Friday, which offers players new game modes they can discover, Kouto left New York with $86,000, which he plans to give to his mother. For him, the popularity of the game — which is free to play and has 250 million users worldwide — is greater than ever, thanks to its fast-paced updates. “It’s the game with the most changes,” he said.”So you can come back four months later and you’ll never feel like you’ve played the same game before.”
