An Australian teenager drops out of high school after making more than $30,000 USD by playing Fortnite professionally. The teen's success in the game is much smaller than American teenager Bugha, who became a Fortnite millionaire at last year's Fortnite World Cup, but suggests how valuable Fortnite skills can be.
Speaking to A Current Affair, Australian teenager Alex Mackechnie, 17, has revealed that he now makes more money than his father does, all from playing Fortnite. Mackechnie has made 45,000 AUD, or around 32,000 USD, by playing the hugely popular battle royale title, with his father Matthew, a podiatrist, saying that "some days he makes more than I do."
Alex, who plays Fortnite for up to 12 hours a day, said that he had to do "a little convincing" to get his parents to allow him to quit school. Matthew admitted that "we didn’t think we would ever be doing that for any child" and that the expectation is that they complete year 12 (equivalent to 12th grade in the United States) with "no compromise." Convincing parents that playing games is a legitimate career path is a rite of passage for most teen gamers, with Fortnite millionaire Wolfiez once having his Xbox One thrown out by his mother before proving that he had the chops to make money from Fortnite.
It's unclear how Alex's earnings, or his place as the 77th best Fortnite player, may be affected by Epic's decision to cancel this year's Fortnite World Cup. The Fortnite World Cup, which last year had a prize pool of $100 million, all fronted by Epic Games, is one of the best chances that players have to make money from the game. Every qualifier gets $50,000 USD, or $70,000 AUD, which is a great deal more than the money the Australian teen has earned to this point.
There are alternative Fortnite events, though. Epic Games hosts weekly Fortnite Cash Cups events. There have been accusations of pro players cheating in these Fortnite Cash Cups but when done right, controversy-free, deserving players can make some money (and a name) for themselves.
Another possibility is for Alex to go into streaming. While it could take some time to get the multi-million dollar deals that streamers like Ninja have signed in the past, that could give teens like Alex something a little more stable than competing in Fortnite events. It could also allow the teen to build a legacy should he retire from the game, though it seems he has no plans to do this for quite a while.
Fortnite is out now for iOS, Android, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.
Source: 9 Now