ROUND ROCK, Texas — Cooper Smith and his teammate earned a $1 million grand prize after winning the 2023 Fortnite Champion Series Global Championship held in Denmark this month.
The esports contest took place from Oct. 13-15, and consisted of a bracket-based tournament where teams of two competed against each other in one of the most popular games – and virtual esports arenas – of this generation, "Fortnite."
Fortnite is a battle royal-style game where 100 players compete to be the last one standing.
This tournament, however, isn't a contest where just anyone can join; Cooper said it's one players have to qualify for.
"What qualified you to this championship in Denmark was placing top-three in one of the three majors this year," said Cooper. "In the second major I got second place, which won me $95,000, and I got invited to the global championship. All the best teams in every region – for instance, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Oceana – got flown out to this Denmark tournament."
Cooper told KENS 5 he's gained around 60,000 followers on his streaming platforms since winning the tournament, and has also unenrolled from traditional public school in favor of online classes so he can pursue his dream of being a professional gaming streamer.
"I actually just enrolled in online school," said Cooper. "I'm also doing streaming now and I'm making a lot of money doing that, so I'm just trying to take it serious now. I wouldn't be able to do that while playing a sport and being in public school."
Cooper added that his parents are his biggest supporters and have always wanted him to chase his dreams.
"My dad actually got me into gaming awhile back," Cooper said. "He was able to travel with me to Denmark when I competed, so he was so happy for me. It was amazing."
What's next for Cooper? He said he wants to keep making money doing what he loves and competing in tournaments for as long as possible.
"I want to keep doing this as long as I can."
