The adult winner in today ’ second solo challenge was 16-year-old Kyle “ Bugha ” Giersdorf, who won $ 3 million for beating out the rival in the solo tournament. And, as sports writer Darren Rovell noted on Twitter, Giersdorf ’ s prize pool is only $ 850,000 smaller than the pot for the winner of the U.S. Open, which is set to begin in a few weeks at the lapp stadium .
indeed, the esports prize pond is one of the biggest awards for a democratic competitive event. Wimbledon winners took family less than $ 3 million and Tiger Woods won $ 2 million for besting the battlefield of competitors at the Masters.
Fortnite ’ s big here and now is besides a big deal for competitive esports in the U.S. The biggest prize pool for an esports event in the U.S. was likely mean to establish a flag and show that competitive gambling is something that can capture the attention of a younger consultation that has drifted away from watching more traditional pastimes and watching less sports, according to a McKinsey study .
Giersdorf, who hails from Pennsylvania and plays professionally for the Los Angeles-based esports team, the Sentinels, became the inaugural Fortnite World Cup solo supporter by putting in a dominant performance over the entire weekend of competition .
For folks who ’ ve never played the game ( or had it explained to them ), Fortnite involves dropping 100 players onto an island where they have to find weapons, build bases and try to eliminate the rival until only one musician is left standing .
It ’ s a cartoon interpretation of the Hunger Games, with no bloodshed, a lot of victory dances and hours of social network.
The game has turned its publisher, Epic Games, into a multibillion-dollar business. surely, it ’ s one that can afford to front a $ 30 million loot purse for a few days of competition .
The tournament wasn ’ t fair about solo act. The company had different rounds for the duet competition featuring two-player teams. That contest, which ended on Saturday, besides featured a $ 3 million choice pool and was won by the European couple of Emil “ Nyhrox ” Bergquist Pedersen and David “ Aqua ” W .
Epic pulled out all the stops it could for the multi-day event at Arthur Ashe stadium. In addition to pulling in some of the top names in bouncy pour and competitive esports to participate in the consequence, the company besides brought in the DJ Marshmello for a performance .
The tournament pulled in about 9 million viewers on YouTube alone for the final day of the rival. More than 40 million people tried out for a slot in the World Cup finals .
And while the prize pot takes a significant chunk out of the $ 100 million that Epic has committed to spend on competitions this year, the returns in terms of the social capital and cachet that Epic has given to the esports populace can ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate be undervalue.
It ’ south surely going to change the liveliness of its first World Cup supporter, a fact that Giersdorf knows all besides well himself .
“ emotionally, correct now, I don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate feel besides much, except I know that this could pretty a lot change my life constantly, ” Giersdorf said in an consultation with ESPN. “ It ’ s precisely absolutely unreal. ”
