The highest earning competitive Fortnite players in the US have been revealed. Here’s how some of the best stack up against each other.
It’s no secret that the esports industry is particularly profitable. A new study of lonely has only cemented this fact by revealing the highest earning competitive players in the United States. Fortnite, in particular, often elicits some surprised reactions from the general public, largely due to the young age of some of the game’s main competitors, even by esports standards. It is these professionals who find themselves with earnings of more than $1 million, some before they are old enough to drink.
The study focuses solely on the earnings of these players, without taking into account income earned from sponsorships or other sources, such as streaming. With that in mind, here are the five highest-earning Fortnite players in the US.
Sitting comfortably as not only the highest earning Fortnite player, but also the highest earning competitive player in all aspects, is Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf.
Bugha rose to Fortnite fame after winning Solos at the first Fortnite World Cup in 2019 at just 16 years old. Bugha competed as a member of the esports organization Sentinels, walking away with $3 million in prize money and a place in Fortnite history. He continues to play Fortnite, regularly streaming the game on both Twitch and YouTube to 5.1 million and 4.2 million followers, respectively.
Today was the day… 🏆
— Bugha (@bugha) July 28, 2019
Second place goes to Harrion “Psalm” Chang, who previously played for Counter Logic Gaming before announcing his retirement in 2020. Psalm also rose to fame during the 2019 Fortnite World Cup, coming second to Bugha during Solos. As a finalist, Psalm took home $1.8 million in World Cup prize money.
These days, Psalm can be seen streaming Apex Legends and Valorant on his contraction channel.
In third place is Shane “EpikWhale” Cotton, who earned over $1.3 million in earnings from Fortnite. EpikWhale currently plays for the North American organization TSM, having joined last week on June 3.
EpikWhale made the majority of his earnings as part of NRG Esports, often competing alongside his Duo tag team partner Diego “Arkhram” Lima. The pro took third place in the 2019 Fortnite World Cup for Solos, earning $1,200,000.
UNITED @TSM 😈😈😈 pic.twitter.com/kkzJ3U6MlF
—TSM FTX EpikWhale (@EpikWhale) June 3, 2022
Number four is Nate “Kreo” Kou, who most recently played for TheCartel Esports.NA before the team disbanded in February 2022. In 2020, Kreo received a 60-day suspension after accusations were made of their participation in teams during the Fortnite Champion Series.
Kreo placed fourth in the 2019 Fortnite World Cup for Solos and walked away with $1,050,000 in prize money.
Rounding out the top five is retired professional Fortnite player Rocco “Saf” Morales. Saf is the only player in this top five who did not compete in Solos for the Fortnite World Cup in 2019, instead competing in Duos alongside Williams “Zayt” Aubin. The pair placed fourth in the 2019 World Cup and won $1.5 million in prize money.
Saf took first place in FNCS: Season X Week 2: North America East last month, along with Zayt and Brian “Zyfa” Wielgolaski, earning $20,000.
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