A 16-year-old US teenager has won a record-breaking $3million to become world champion of the computer game Fortnite.
The Pennsylvania-based Kyle Giersdorf managed to beat over 100 other players on the battle royale game. He became the champion of the first-ever Fortnite World Cup.
The esports tournament saw the largest-ever prize pool in the history of competitive gaming: $30 million. Over 40 million gamers took part in the 10-week qualifiers, including representatives from more than 30 different nations in the finals.
Playing under the name “Bugha,” Giersdorf clearly eclipsed the efforts of his rivals. Netting 26 points more than his nearest rival, the US teenager almost made a victory lap of his final game and booked his place at the top of the Fortnite World Cup leaderboard.
After winning the first battle royale, Bugha never gave up his lead. Through strong challenges from Counter Logic Gaming’s “Psalm,” Bugha kept his cool and eased through the six-round finals.
There were also notable results for many top UK gamers. Jaden Ashman from London picked up nearly £1 million in prizes by getting second place in the duos competition, whilst the 14-year-old Kyle Jackson received $375,000 in winnings.
The Fortnite World Cup marked a big moment for the Epic Games title. The battle royale game was only released in 2017, but it quickly became a breakthrough hit with well over 125 million players signing up in less than a year.
The title spearheaded the hugely popular battle royale phenomenon, with other games like Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds and Apex Legends also proving immensely successful. The arrival of the Fortnite World Cup showed this game could become a massive hit in the burgeoning esports scene.
