Bold move, Cotton
We’ve probably reached peak eSports.
Speaking to ESPN, eSports organization Team Secret CEO John Yao has revealed that they’ve signed 13-year-old player Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson to their roster for Fortnite. The thing is, there is no actual sanctioned Fortnite event right now.
Yao explains, “Our guess is that Epic Games is also going to announce something and get behind the esports scene. And so, before everybody else jumps in and all the good players get signed up, we wanted to make a preemptive strike.” As for Mongraal, Yao notes that they had no idea he was actually 13, as he describes the newcomer as “mature,” and “one of the other guys.”
There’s a lot to parse here. If you have the cash and some inside connections to know that Epic is probably going to sanction a real event soon, poaching players now does make sense. Yao even accounts for any potential age restrictions, noting that Mongraal will be able to play in trickled-down pools if Epic doesn’t allow him to participate — and hey, when he grows up, he could stay loyal to Team Secret.
But still, 13? That’s a lot of pressure both emotionally and mentally for something that young to deal with — so I wish him the best of luck.
