On the evening of 28th of July 2019, a 16-year-old Kyle Giersdorf took home $3 million (£2.4M) by becoming the first Fortnite World Cup champion. It was no easy task for the teenager (in-game nickname Bugha) as the competition attracted more than 40 million players attempting to qualify for it and 99 others making the shortlist for the live tournament in New York.
The World Cup was a major success for the organisers by bringing over 2.3 million concurrent viewers across YouTube and Twitch (an Amazon-owned video game-play streaming service), making it the most-watched competitive gaming event so far. In the backstage of all this, there were also brands trying to cash in from the success. However, despite the huge reach, low cost and highly engaged audience, it was evident that companies are still reluctant to market within the eSports industry.