An Australian teenager drops out of high school after making more than $30,000 USD by playingFortniteprofessionally. The teen’s success in the game is much smaller than American teenagerBugha, who became aFortnitemillionaireat last year’sFortniteWorld Cup, but suggests how valuableFortniteskills can be.
Speaking toA Current Affair, Australian teenager Alex Mackechnie, 17, has revealed that he now makes more money than his father does, all from playingFortnite. 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.”
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Alex, who playsFortnitefor 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, withFortnitemillionaireWolfiez once having his Xbox One thrown outby his mother before proving that he had the chops to make money fromFortnite.
It’s unclear how Alex’s earnings, or his place as the 77th bestFortniteplayer, may be affected by Epic’s decision tocancel this year’sFortniteWorld Cup. TheFortniteWorld 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 alternativeFortniteevents, though. Epic Games hosts weeklyFortniteCash Cups events. There have been accusations ofpro players cheating in theseFortniteCash Cupsbut 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 themulti-million dollar deals that streamers like Ninja have signedin the past, that could give teens like Alex something a little more stable than competing inFortniteevents. 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.
Fortniteis out now for iOS, Android, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.
