Fortnite breaks another Twitch record, as Tyler Blevins' charity event in Las Vegas drew the most concurrent viewers on the streaming platform at 667,000 users.
Blevins, more popularly known for his streaming handle Ninja, was also the previous record holder when his Fortnite stream with rappers Drake and Travis Scott drew over 600,000 viewers. Ninja, who earns $500,000 per month as one of the most popular Fortnite streamers, has now broken his own record.
Ninja's 'Fortnite' Charity Event In Las Vegas Smashes Twitch Record
Ninja did not need the star power of Drake and Travis Scott to set a new Twitch record. In the Esports Arena Las Vegas at the Luxor Hotel and Casino, the spotlight was mostly on the popular Fortnite streamer.
For the event, fans and casual players were allowed to purchase a $75 ticket to join three out of nine solo matches on the Battle Royale mode of Fortnite. They played alongside professionals and streamers, with the matches including anywhere between 75 to 85 players each. A total of 233 competitors joined the event's games, with each one given a booth and machine on the Esports Arena floor.
The event offered players $2,500 if they kill Ninja and another $2,500 if they won the match. If Ninja won a match, the bounty will be rolled over to the next match. That only happened once, though, in the fourth match of the event. Ninja also finished in the top 10 four times and came in second place twice, with the prize money he earned going to an Alzheimer's charity of his choice.
By far, the event was the highest-profile broadcast of Fortnite, as Epic Games looks to bring the game further into the mainstream as an eSport.
Interesting Things About Ninja's 'Fortnite' Charity Event
One of the most interesting things about the Fortnite charity event was a Los Angeles college student who went by the handle Blind. He won the first two matches of the night, with the first one earned after a one-on-one bout against Ninja himself. Blind, however, wanted to remain anonymous after the event, which he joined with hopes of getting signed by an eSports team.
Another highlight of the event was the winner of the eighth match, a player known as 4DRStorm. Surprisingly, the player was a bright-eyed 14-year-old teenager.
The presence of Myth, the second most popular Fortnite streamer after Ninja, was also the biggest disappointment. Myth played in the last three matches, but the highly anticipated Ninja vs. Myth one-on-one battle never happened. The appearance of Myth, however, helped fuel the record-breaking viewer counts, with the new record achieved while he was playing in one of the matches.
