Bugha (gamer)
Kyle Giersdorf, better known as Bugha (/ˈbuːɡə/), is an American professional esports player who is best known for playing Fortnite Battle Royale.[3] He came to fame after winning Fortnite World Cup 2019.[4][5][6]
Bugha | ||||||||||
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Current team | ||||||||||
Team | Dignitas | |||||||||
Game | Fortnite | |||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||
Name | Kyle Giersdorf | |||||||||
Born | [1] United States | December 30, 2002|||||||||
Nationality | American | |||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||
Playing career | 2018–present | |||||||||
Team history | ||||||||||
2018 | No Clout | |||||||||
2019–2022 | Sentinels | |||||||||
2023–present | Dignitas | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||
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Twitch information | ||||||||||
Channel | ||||||||||
Years active | 2018–present | |||||||||
Followers | 4.97 million | |||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||
Channel | ||||||||||
Years active | 2018–Present | |||||||||
Subscribers | 4.28 million[2] | |||||||||
Total views | 306.85 million[2] | |||||||||
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Last updated: October 26, 2022 |
Early life
Giersdorf lives in Pottsgrove, PA.[7]
Giersdorf's nickname comes from his grandfather who used to call him Bugha when he was younger.[8] He was first introduced to Fortnite when his father, also a gamer, told him about the "Save the World" game mode.[7]
Professional career
After playing with team No Clout, Giersdorf signed with esports organization Sentinels on March 25, 2019, as a member of their Fortnite team.[9] Giersdorf qualified and attended the 1st Annual Fortnite World Cup that took place on July 26–28, 2019.[7] He competed for Solos that took place on the 28th.[10] Giersdorf had the chance to play 6 matches against 99 other players who had also qualified.[11] In the end, Giersdorf was 1st place with 59 points, almost doubling second-place winner psalm with 33 points.[12] Kyle won $3,000,000 in prize money.[13][14]
Epic Games gave Giersdorf a cosmetic outfit of his likeness in July 2021 as part of Fortnite's Icon Series. Other figures, such as football player Neymar and streamer Ninja, also have outfits.[15]
Awards and nominations
Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | The Game Awards | Best Esports Athlete | Won | [18][19] |
2020 | Shorty Award | Best in Gaming | Nominated | [20][21] |
Notable Fortnite tournament placements
Bugha's best placements include:
- 1st Place Solo World Cup Qualifiers Week 1
- 1st place Fortnite World Cup 2019
- 1st Place Trio Cash Cup July 21, 2019
- 1st Place Solo Cash Cup October 3, 2019
- 1st Place Solo Cash Cup November 20, 2019
- 5th Place FNCS Duos Grand Finals Chapter 2, Season 2
- 1st Place Duos Cash Cup May 28, 2020
- 1st Place Daily Trios Cup July 29, 2020
- 4th Place FNCS Solos Grand Finals Chapter 2, Season 3
- 6th place Bugha Lookalike contest 2021
- 4th Place DreamHack Online Open Finals August 2020
- 2nd Place DreamHack Online Open Finals September 2020
- 3rd Place FNCS Trios Grand Finals Chapter 2, Season 4
- 5th Place FNCS Trios Grand Finals Chapter 2, Season 5
- 1st Place FNCS Trios Grand Finals Chapter 2, Season 8
- 1st Place FNCS Trios Grand Royale Finals Chapter 2, Season 8
- 1st Place FNCS Duos Grand Finals Chapter 3, Season 1
- 3rd Place FNCS Duos Grand Finals Chapter 3, Season 2
- 2nd Place FNCS Duos Grand Finals Chapter 3, Season 3
References
- Bugha [@bugha] (December 30, 2021). "19 🥳" (Tweet). Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Twitter.
- "About Bugha". YouTube.
- "Kyle Giersdorf". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "American teen 'Bugha' becomes solo Fortnite champ, winning $3 mn". Arab News. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- "16-year old Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf wins $3 million at Fortnite World Cup". CBS News. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "This Fortnite World Cup Winner Is 16 and $3 Million Richer". The New York Times. July 29, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- Fortnite (November 25, 2019). Bugha – Stories from the Battle Bus (YouTube video). Epic Games.
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (July 29, 2019). Jimmy Interviews Fortnite World Cup Solo Champion Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf (YouTube video). NBC.
- "Sentinels Sign Bugha". Sentinels. March 25, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- "16-year-old Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf wins Fortnite World Cup, takes home $3 million prize". sports.yahoo.com. July 29, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "US teenager becomes first Fortnite World Cup champion, winning $3m | Fortnite | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- "This Fortnite World Cup Winner Is 16 and $3 Million Richer". The New York Times. July 29, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- "Teenage gamer wins Fortnite World Cup, takes home more prize money than Wimbledon". www.abc.net.au. July 29, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "A 16-year-old just won $3 million playing Fortnite". The Independent. July 28, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- Webster, Andrew (July 19, 2021). "Fortnite champ Bugha is getting his own in-game skin". The Verge. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- "Fortnite World Cup champion Bugha has been targeted by hackers". PCGamesN. July 29, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "$3 million Fortnite World Cup winner Bugha's social media hacked". VPEsports. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "Kyle Giersdorf aka Bugha Won the 2019 Game Award in the Category Best Athlete". estnn.com. December 13, 2019. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf 'surprised' to win Esports Player of the Year at the 2019 Esports Awards". Sky Sports. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "Exclusive: All the finalists for this year's Shorty Awards, which won't be a physical event for the first time in 12 years because of the coronavirus". Business Insider. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- "bugha – The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved April 8, 2021.