Mom took 15-year-old out of school so he could play Fortnite – now he’s quitting

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In May 2019, the English teenager Benjy “Benjyfishy” Fish made a name for himself: His mother took the then 15-year-old out of school so that he could gamble with his friends in the USA at night and prepare for the Fortnite World Cup. 3 years later, however, the professional career in Fortnite is over.

This story made Bejyfishy famous: In May 2019 Benjyfishy was heard for the first time worldwide:

  • At that time he had qualified for the Fortnite World Cup in solo and duo. He was guaranteed a $100,000 sign-on bonus and also had the opportunity to earn millions of dollars at the World Cup
  • His mother, who was also his manager at the same time, took him from school because he was always “tired and unfocused” anyway because he played the tournaments at night according to US time
  • Instead of normal school, he should now focus on Fortnite and be homeschooled – Benjyfishy should now learn the material from 2 years of school in 3 years

    • Fortnite was a huge topic in gaming, especially in 2018 and 2019:

    Everything you need to know about the battle royale shooter Fortnite

    Teen Wins $600,000 Prize, Builds Major Twitch Channel

    How did that go for Benjyfishy? Right after the story back in 2019, things were going really well for Benjyfishy:

  • In 2019, when he left school, he earned $393,736 in prize money alone. There weren’t millions in winnings at the World Cup, but twice the $50,000 entry fee, and later in the year he kept winning tens of thousands of dollars for good placements
  • In 2020 he was still earning $113,000 with e-sports when the Fortnite hype was already waning
  • In 2021 it didn’t look so great anymore, $ 60,000 in prize money came in

    • With the Fortnite hype, so did the viewers

    Benjyfishy is now more active on Twitch, where he has built up a large channel with 3.8 million followers.

    However, it has lost over 60% of its viewers in the last year and has slipped from being one of the top 20 fastest growing channels, now to 188th in follower growth.

    A year and a half ago, in January 2021, Benjyfishy was critical of the future of e-sports in Fortnite:

    73% fewer hours watched – in the last 365 days, the Twitch career has been a bit out of breath.

    “Lost love to Fortnite” – Benjyfishy retires at 18

    This is what Benjyfishy says now: 18-year-old Benjyfishy seems finally fed up with Fortnite after criticizing the scene and e-sports in the past.

    Now he says: With Chapter 3 Season 2 he “lost his love for Fortnite”, for him it is “pointless to continue with something” that he no longer enjoys.

    But he is incredibly grateful for the last few years and doesn’t want to miss them. After all, Fortnite has fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming an e-sports professional.

    Ninja loses 88% of his viewers on Twitch in 3 years: “I’m kinda stuck”

    What is he doing now? Benjyfishy wants to devote himself fully to the e-sports title Valorant. He’s had as much fun there as he hasn’t had since his World Cup at Fortnite.

    The young man expressly thanks his mother: Without her none of this would have been possible.

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    In a video posted Friday, Benjyfishy retired from Fortnite.

    This is behind it: The mother’s decision as to whether it was right to take her son out of school was hotly debated at the time. In hindsight, the decision paid off. Nevertheless, mothers should be careful if their son dreams of an esports career:

  • On the one hand, Benjyfishy was already far back then, he had qualified for the Fortnite World Cup as one of 100 worldwide
  • On the other hand, Fortnite was so popular at the time and loaded with money in a way that no game has done since. This hype could be maintained for a relatively long time

    • But the example of Benjyfishy also shows how quickly such a hype can be over again: the prize money is falling sharply, and the Twitch viewers are also with the next rising stars.

    It remains to be seen whether Benjyfishy will be able to maintain the fame he built up at the age of 15 over the next few years. Because many who are now playing Valorant have already built up a huge lead over Benjyfishy there and many Twitch streamers who were known for one game have great problems switching to a new one.

    Some parents seriously overdo it with e-sports hype:

    Fortnite instead of school: father raises son to be a pro gamer since he was 3

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