Ashman left New York with over $1 million as prize money.
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Jaden Ashman, also known as Wolfiez, was placed second at the Fortnite World Cup a the age of 15. He along with his partner, Dave Jong, otherwise known as “Rojo” did not finish first but it still doesn’t take away from the fact that they won hefty prize money. Ashman left New York with over $1 million as prize money.
He might have not won the title but he did in fact return as the youngest millionaire through Esports. Jaden Ashman left New York as the youngest esports millionaire in history. It’s an official record as it has been recognized by the Guinness World Records.
Jaden Ashman’s journey to becoming the youngest esports millionaire started out with a very humble beginning at home.
According to Guinness World Records, Ashman learned how to play video games from his uncle. Soon he developed a love for the controllers, and the rest is what the story is all about.
“He used to play controller and he was really good at it so I kind of looked up to him and it was the first thing I took on,” the youngest esports millionaire told Guinness World Records.
Ashman also tried his hands on different games while being confined to his room. This practice in particular of not heading outdoors did not sit too well with his mother, Lisa Dallman. Like many other parents out there, his mother also believed that he was just wasting time and nothing good could out of playing video games. At some point, according to the Guinness World Records article, she even threw out his Xbox console.
Ashman takes full responsibility for when he “got a bit obsessive” with gaming, but he and his mom eventually learned how to set boundaries. “Me and mum clashed a lot but we figured it out in the end.”
Ashman’s mom was particularly against him playing the battle-royale kind of format game games, which would typically involve looting and killing other players for survival. “Fortnite” is the first battle royale-style video game with 250 million registered players as of March 2019, per Guinness. Jaden Ashman is one of those 250 million registered players of “Fortnite,” along with an eight-year-old player who earned $33,000 as a signing bonus to join an esports team.
According to BBC, Jaden Ashman began playing “Fortnite” on the day of the game’s release, which happened in July 2017.
The same report also suggests that he would practice in his room for up to eight hours a day. “I would never get my homework in on time,” he said to Guinness.
Jaden Ashman’s chance to prove his mother wrong came when he got an invite to the ever so prestigious “Fortnite” World Cup in 2019, which took place in New York. Ashman was invited to join the competition for pairs. Naturally, he wanted to bring his mother with him to show her his impeccable skills.
He proved his mother wrong indeed. Jaden Ashman placed second in the “Fortnite” World Cup and earned half of the $2.25 million cash prize in the duo competition with his Dutch gaming partner, making him the youngest esports millionaire in recorded history. The event holds the Guinness record for largest prize pool for an esports tournament for a single-player game.
“I’ve proved to her that I wasn’t wasting the hours each day in my bedroom playing instead of doing my homework,” the Fortnite player said to Guinness.
So how did Jaden Ashman spend the prize money? He bought his mom a house.
For him, his “Fortnite” career does not end with becoming the youngest esports millionaire.
“I’m not planning on getting this money and just quitting. I’ve still got a full career of gaming ahead of me,” the “Fortnite” player said.
Speaking of his career, the youngest esports millionaire is now a professional gamer who is part of an esports team. Ashman joined Excel Sports last year and has earned $130,000 after playing in the FNCS Invitation.
Ashman told Guinness that he wants people to know that he’s the best “Fortnite” player out there. He wants to be the “clear number one best.” It looks like he’s well on his way.
