Throwback: How Bugha Conquered the World of Fortnite

On July 28, 2019, a 17-year old kid shocked everyone in the world of Esports. Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf made history by winning the inaugural Fortnite World Cup Solos. Now, a year later, Bugha is a millionaire, currently signed to Esports organization Sentinels. To acknowledge the same, Sentinels aired a video on YouTube, highlighting Bugha’s route to greatness.

Fortnite, by Epic Games, has arguably grown into the biggest battle royale game in the world. Since its launch in 2017, it has garnered huge popularity and continues to grow each day.

Bugha – Fortnite road to glory

Bugha was just like any other kid growing up. He developed an interest in games thanks to his father, who himself was a gamer.

“I was introduced to gaming pretty much by my dad. He has been a gamer all his life. He got my first console for me.”

The player started off with games such as Little Big Planet. It was only when he got a PS4 that he started playing Fortnite. He slowly switched to playing it on PC. While he initially played with his friends, Bugha soon realized his potential.

There were millions on the line at the Fortnite World Cup. Beforehand, Bugha was no stranger to tournaments. He managed a top 50 finish in Winter Royale 2018, top 10 in Share the Love Series 2019, and also came up 2nd in the eventual World Cup Warm-up Duo.

Bugha ended up finishing first in the Solos qualifier. He improved with every match, rewatched old gameplays, corrected his mistakes, and kept evolving.

During the event, Bugha came on top within the first royale, lining up 9 kills in the process. The crowd was ecstatic and, well, the player was just smiling. In the end, Bugha won the Cup with the most points in the table.

“I think one of the major things that helped me while playing was like when you get a kill late game and you hear the entire crowd erupt and everyone’s going crazy like, that gives you adrenaline and you’re like ready to keep going.”

Aftermath

Having played with him online, Aspect, a member of Sentinels, introduced Bugha to the organization. Sentinels secured his contract in what was a huge boost to both parties.

He was also invited to several talk shows, making him an instant celebrity, and not just in the gaming world.

However, things weren’t always smooth for the player. After winning the world cup, Bugha gained a lot of fo fame. But fame is not without its disadvantages; it makes you a target.

Bugh’s account was hacked, with the person behind it giving away free subs. His account was also tied to his personal banking information.

Bugha’s exploits at the world cup also resulted in him gaining millions of followers on Twitch. Sadly, though, he was flooded with toxic and harsh comments, which is never easy to handle, especially if you’re just a teenager.

While he did struggle a little with it, he overcame the hurdle because of his love for the game.

Going forward

In the same year, he was crowned PC Player of the Year and PC Rookie of the Year at the 2019 Esports Awards. An achievement only a few can boast, let alone a 16-year-old. None of the glory has deviated Bugha from his goals and the player has decided to stick to doing what he does best.

“I’m hoping that I continue to do exactly what I’m doing. I want to stream to many people every day. Hopefully, I can grow that stream to all my platforms but I want to keep providing the best content that I can but at the same time be the best player I can.”

This year, the Fortnite World Cup was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic. That has not stopped Bugha from grinding each day. He is aware that the game changes constantly, and to keep pace with it, Bugha is practicing and training for upcoming tournaments and he has all it takes to be a legend in the field. He is on the top of the eSports world, and his hard work will only keep him there longer.

Source: Sentinels YouTube