Quentyn K. August 1, 2019
Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf woke up and won $3 million in one day. His return to streaming has been almost as eventful as that Fortnite World Cup victory.
Thousands of viewers tuned in to watch Bugha play his first few games as the reigning world champion. His stream had already been decently popular for someone of his newness, but the World Cup win spiked interest as onlookers yearned to learn from the undisputed best player in Fortnite.
Bugha’s stream hit 37,000 peak viewers and hovered in the 20,000 to 25,000 range throughout the four-and-a-half-hour broadcast. He gained over 60,000 new followers and enjoyed nearly 250,000 unique viewers overall.
It wasn’t all fun and games for the Sentinel player’s return, though. Bugha’s new celebrity status comes with the negative side effect of an influx of stream snipers. His plight began on the very first drop of the day when he directed allies to drop at Tilted Towers.
Predictably, a horde of players went straight for the town. At one point this part of the map did typically draw that sort of attention, but in today’s game it was clearly the work of those who’d rather spoil the fun.
Bugha reportedly called an audible by shouting “zoom,” which seemed to inform his teammates that he’d be ditching the original plan for a backup location. The sequence suggests Bugha knew of the potential for hecklers to ruin his games.
Funnily enough, the action eventually returned to Tilted Towers where players rushed Bugha’s location in an attempt to claim some bragging rights. In another game, viewers stormed his Sandy Springs drop for screen time. Some were there for a dance party, but Bugha was preoccupied with the dozen or so other players gunning for him.
For better or worse, Bugha’s post-win streaming experience is a testament to the power a high-profile performance can have on an esports pro’s career. He didn’t need that stream to bask in his newfound celebrity, however. An appearance on Jimmy Fallon contributed to what’s sure to be a surreal feeling for the 16-year-old.
Whether Bugha can ride this momentum to become the next big name in esports remains to be seen. It’s possible, and almost a foregone conclusion, that he won’t be able to maintain these lofty numbers for long, as even streaming established stars like Guy “Dr. Disrespect” Beahm have relative lulls at some points throughout their careers.
Bugha has a huge head start, though. At age 16, he has the distinction of being called the first-ever Fortnite World Cup winner, and his newfound wealth will give him ample funds to focus on improving his streaming career and his life. Still, long-term success in esports is never guaranteed.