These 8 pro gamers became instant millionaires at the 'Fortnite' World Cup this past weekend, and the biggest winner is just 16 years old

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These 8 pro gamers became instant millionaires at the 'Fortnite' World Cup this past weekend, and the biggest winner is just 16 years old

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Fortnite World Cup 2019 (duos winners)

Epic Games

Emil "Nyhrox" Bergquist Pedersen (left) and David "Aqua" Wang (right)

  • The first ever "Fortnite" World Cup championship took place over the weekend in New York City's iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium.
  • By the end of the three-day event, nearly 10 gamers - many of them, if not most, teenagers - had become millionaires.
  • The highest prize, $3 million, went to a 16-year-old who won the Solos tournament. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

"Fortnite" isn't just the biggest game in the world - it's also a vehicle for turning gamers into instant millionaires. 

Look no further than this past weekend's first-ever "Fortnite" World Cup for proof of that: The event turned eight pro gamers into instant millionaires, and the biggest winner was only 16 years old. A whole mess of other players, many of them also teenagers, also made hundreds of thousands of dollars as runners-up in the $30 million prize pool.

Here are the biggest winners:

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1. 16-year-old Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf took first place in the solo queue, taking home $3 million as a result.

1. 16-year-old Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf took first place in the solo queue, taking home $3 million as a result.

2. Harrison "Psalm" Chang took second place in solo, which got him $1.8 million. At the age of 24, he was one of the few non-teens in contention for the top prizes.

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3. The winning pair of duos players, Emil "Nyhrox" Bergquist Pedersen (left) and David "Aqua" Wang (right), took home $1.5 million apiece for their win.

3. The winning pair of duos players, Emil "Nyhrox" Bergquist Pedersen (left) and David "Aqua" Wang (right), took home $1.5 million apiece for their win.

4. Shane "EpikWhale" Cotton took home $1.2 million for taking third place in solos.

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5. Dave "Rojo" Jong and Jaden "Wolfiez" Ashman took home $1,125,000 each for taking second place in duos.

The 15yr old millionaire Fortnite player Jaden Ashman and his mum Lisa Dallman. He came second with his teammate on the duos and will split $2.25m! His mum says accepting him as an e-sports player has been very hard and she’s even thrown out an X-Box in past!! #FortniteWorldCup pic.twitter.com/UCUqGzUOLW

— Joe Tidy (@joetidy) July 27, 2019

6. Nate "Kreo" Kou took home $1,050,000 for placing fourth in the solos queue.

6. Nate "Kreo" Kou took home $1,050,000 for placing fourth in the solos queue.
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Beyond that, runners up took home hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece. Even the first place winning team in "Creative" mode — a totally separate game from the standard "Battle Royale" mode of "Fortnite" — took home $1,345,000 as a group of four.

Beyond that, runners up took home hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece. Even the first place winning team in "Creative" mode — a totally separate game from the standard "Battle Royale" mode of "Fortnite" — took home $1,345,000 as a group of four.

Check out the full standings, including winnings, for the first-ever "Fortnite" World Cup right here.