A British teenager has won $1.25m (£1m) by coming second in the first Fortnite World Cup in New York on Saturday.
Jaden Ashman, 15, who competes under the name Wolfiez, was placed second alongside his Dutch teammate Dave Jong, 21, in a duos round of the battle royal-style shooting game that has more than 250 million players worldwide.
His mother, Lisa Dallman, from Essex, told the BBC that she and her son “had a nightmare” arguing over his online gaming, because she wanted him to spend more time on schoolwork.
She admitted to having thrown away an Xbox in the past but now accepted his choice to compete professionally.
A total of $30m in prize money was up for grabs, making this tournament the biggest ever at an esports event.
Top-place winners Emil Bergquist Pedersen from Norway and his Austrian partner, David W, who play as Nyhrox and Aqua, took home a total of $3m prize money.
More than 100 finalists took part in the event, trimmed down from around 40 million who attempted to qualify for the tournament.
A total of six matches were played in the competition, with duos earning points based on eliminations and their placing in each round.
Ashman said he was quick to start playing Fortnite when the game was first released two years ago. He practices for as much as eight hours a day.
He told the BBC that his mother initially thought he was wasting his time. “Now I’ve proved to her that I can do stuff, I’m really happy,” he said.
With regard to spending the prize money, Dallman said her son was not materialistic, and that she anticipated he would spend the prize money on a “lifetime of Uber Eats”.
The winner of the singles tournament will be announced on Sunday.
