In May 2019, English teenager Benjy “Benjyfishy” Fish made headlines: His mother took the then 15-year-old out of school so he could play video games with his friends at night in the USA and prepare for the World Cup in Fortnite. Three years later, however, his professional career in Fortnite has come to an end.
This story made Benjyfishy famous: In May 2019, the world first heard about Benjyfishy:
- At that time, he had qualified for the Fortnite World Cup in Solo and Duo. A $100,000 entry fee was guaranteed for him, and he also had the chance to win millions of US dollars at the World Cup.
- His mother, who was also his manager, took him out of school because he was always “tired and unfocused,” as he played tournaments at night according to US time.
- Instead of regular school, he was to focus on Fortnite and be homeschooled – Benjyfishy was to learn two years of school material in three years.
Fortnite was a huge topic in gaming, especially in 2018 and 2019:
Teenager wins $600,000 prize money, builds a large Twitch channel
How did it go for Benjyfishy? Immediately after the story back in 2019, things were going very well for Benjyfishy:
- In 2019, when he left school, he earned $393,736 in prize money alone. At the World Cup, there were no million-dollar prizes, but he had two times $50,000 entry fees and later won several tens of thousands of dollars for good placements throughout the year.
- In 2020, he still earned $113,000 with eSports, although the Fortnite hype had already started to decline.
- By 2021, things didn’t look so great anymore, as only $60,000 came in prize money.
With the Fortnite hype, the viewers also disappeared
Currently, Benjyfishy is more active on Twitch, where he has built a large channel with 3.8 million followers.
However, he lost over 60% of his viewers last year and slipped from being one of the 20 fastest-growing channels to rank 188 in follower growth.
Already a year and a half ago, in January 2021, Benjyfishy critically assessed the future of eSports in Fortnite:
“Lost love for Fortnite” – Benjyfishy ends professional career at 18
This is what Benjyfishy says now: The now 18-year-old Benjyfishy seems to be completely fed up with Fortnite, after previously criticizing the scene and eSports.
Now he says: With Chapter 3 Season 2, he “lost his love for Fortnite,” and for him, it is “pointless to continue with something” that no longer brings him joy.
However, he is incredibly grateful for the last few years and wouldn’t want to miss them. After all, Fortnite fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a professional eSports player.
What is he doing now? Benjyfishy wants to fully dedicate himself to the eSports title Valorant. He is having as much fun as he hasn’t had since his World Cup days in Fortnite.
The young man explicitly thanks his mother: Without her, none of this would have been possible.
This is what it’s all about: The decision of the mother whether it was right to take her son out of school was hotly debated back then. In hindsight, the decision paid off. Nevertheless, mothers should be careful when their son dreams of an eSports career:
- On the one hand, Benjyfishy was already advanced at that time, having qualified as one of 100 worldwide for the Fortnite World Cup.
- On the other hand, Fortnite was so trendy and money-laden back then, as no game has since managed. This hype could be maintained for quite some time.
However, the example of Benjyfishy also shows how quickly such a hype can be over: Prize money drops sharply, and Twitch viewers go to the next rising stars.
Whether Benjyfishy can manage to maintain the fame he built at 15 in the coming years is uncertain. Many who are now playing Valorant have already established a significant lead over Benjyfishy, and many Twitch streamers known for one game are having great difficulty transitioning to a new one.
Some parents go way too far with the eSports hype:
Fortnite instead of school: Father raises son to be a pro gamer since he was 3 years old.
