Teen Wins $3 Million Prize in First Fortnite World Cup Tournament
This 16-year-old from Pennsylvania has just become an instant millionaire.
(Bloomberg) -- This 16-year-old from Pennsylvania has just become an instant millionaire.
Kyle Giersdorf, who’s known by his video gaming handle “Bugha,” won the $3 million grand prize at the Fortnite World Cup held Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
“Today was indeed the day,” he said in a tweet.
Giersdorf isn’t the only teen millionaire this weekend. On Saturday, Emil Bergquist Pedersen, a 16-year-old from Norway known as “Nyhrox,” and Austria’s David Wang, a 17-year-old who uses the handle “Aqua,” won the Fortnite World Cup duo championship, beating 50 teams. They share a $3 million prize.
Developed by Epic Games Inc., Fortnite Battle Royale is a video game where 100 competitors fight it out on a virtual island, with the lone survivor or team named as the winner.
Fortnite has become an international sensation, making Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney a billionaire. The game also sparked a rise in video-game addiction, where Lorrine Marer, a British behavioral specialist, said last year that “this game is like heroin.”
Nyhrox already has a plan for his winnings. “I’m saving most of my money, might invest some and I’m for sure going to upgrade my gaming setup,” he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Zoya Khan in New York at zkhan79@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Polina Noskova at pnoskova@bloomberg.net, Linus Chua, Steve Geimann
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