13-Year-Old Becomes Fortnite ‘Pro’

A 13-year-old has been contracted as a “professional” Fortnite player. Kyle Jackson isn’t being paid to play, but will earn a share of his team’s winnings if and when there’s a competitive league.

Team Secret, which already has squads competing in leagues for other games, sought out a player using the handle Mongraal after seeing him perform online. Team head John Yao assumed Mongraal was an adult based not just on his gameplay skills but also the sound of his voice and the professionalism of his in-game communication.

It turned out that he was in fact a British teen whose parents had to give permission for him to sign the player contract. He’s been playing video games since eight and playing competitively online since 10.

While Jackson’s parents support his gaming efforts, that’s based on him continuing to perform well at school. He’s also currently got a 9pm gaming curfew.

To date he’s never met any of his Team Secret colleagues. Jackson’s father says that he’ll be happy to accompany him if and when he needs to travel to play competition events in person.