Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Cathy Owen

Fortnite World Cup sees British teen win nearly £1 million - and they only came second

A 15-year-old British boy has won nearly £1 million after coming second at the first ever Fornite World Cup in America.

Jaden Ashman will split $2.25m (£1.8m) with his Dutch partner as they played a duo.

More than 100 finalists took part in the event's various competitions, having been whittled down from around 40 million who attempted to qualify for the tournament and compete for the 3 million US dollar (£2.4 million) top prize.

More than 30 countries were represented at the finals, which also featured a duo competition for pairs.

Jaden, who used the name Wolfiez, and his team-mate Dave Jong (Rojo) came second in the duos event.

The event is big business in America (Getty Images)

Norwegian Emil Bergquist Pedersen and Austrian David W - Nyhrox and Aqua - took first place, winning by 51 points to Ashman and Jong's 47.

Jaden has played the game since it came out around two years ago, but unlike many of the finalists, he is relatively unknown with only a few thousand followers and fans on gaming social media.

Not everyone has benefited financially from Fortnite:

Boy spends more than a thousand pounds on Fortnite after using his mum's bank card

His mother, Lisa Dallman, told the BBC she and her son used to have rows because his grades suffered at school.

The online battle royale game has become a popular culture sensation since its launch two years ago - more than 250 million people have played the game and its in-game celebratory dance moves have been recreated by some of the world's biggest sports stars.

Fans at the Fortnite World Cup Finals in New York (Getty Images)



Paul Leaman, vice-president of gaming accessory firm HyperX, said the size of the Fortnite event was a demonstration of the growth of the video games industry.

He said: "The Fortnite World Cup is a great event to showcase the evolution of the gaming industry. The amount of prize money on offer is a clear indication of how much growth and respect the industry has rightfully gained.

"With events like the Fortnight World Cup, the focus is not solely on the game itself, but it is a platform to showcase the entire gaming ecosystem.

"Gaming peripherals, major sponsors, superstar personalities and the wildly popular battle royale genre will all be in the spotlight during the World Cup - all of which is a major coup for the industry."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.