EpikWhale – Stories from the Battle Bus

Redondo Redondo Beach Redondo Beach, California (dogs barking) (dogs barking) (dogs barking) A year and a half ago, I didn’t even play Fortnite. No one really knew who I was. Epic Games Presents I was just living a normal life, playing games with my friends, and going to school. And now, all of this has happened and it’s crazy. My name is EpikWhale… (Announcer) The players are on the floor in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, they’re ready. (family cheering) EpikWhale, EpikWhale! I’m 17-years-old, and I finished 3rd at the Fortnite World Cup Championship. (family cheering) EpikWhale! (family cheering) (keyboard clacking) Stories from the Battle Bus
(EpikWhale) (train tracks screeching) New New York New York City I traveled to New York with my dad originally, and then the rest of my family came later. We did not have any sense of what this World Cup event really was. We thought it was another tournament that he was going to be playing in, so we did not expect what we’re dealing with now. (off-screen) EpikWhale can go photo and interviews. The World Cup was a very new experience for me. (photographer) Smile…perfect. Just give me a fistbump in the air…nice! I met Psalm and a lot of people that I’ve been playing with and practicing with. (announcer) Ladies and gentleman, 1st place today wins $3 million. If you get 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, your prize money you’re winning is also above the $1 million mark. People always underestimate Epik because he’s quiet. He’s never been the biggest or fastest. But, underneath all of that lurks a very, very strong competitor. (announcer) EpikWhale, known for taking walls, taking names, and pressing forward. After the 1st game, I was in, like, 20-something place. I just kept going up, and then I just went into the teens. (announcer) EpikWhale is currently in 6th position. In game 5, I had an iconic fight with Riversan. (shimmering noise) (announcer) Riversan in 4th, so this is a battle at the top of the leaderboard. No! And Epik cannot quite find the target. That is a moment– That’s huge! –where I think nerves gets you a little bit. Here are the standings: EpikWhale knocked down to 8th. After that, I was just focused on playing the game. What makes him one of the best in the world, his ability to be able to kinda see things strategically that I don’t think everyone sees. (announcer) This is the last game, the Fortnite World Cup Finals! (family cheering) EpikWhale! (snow crunching) (air swooshing) In game 6… I just was playing for endgame. And I ended up getting a lot of points that game. (crowd cheering) (brother) EpikWhale! When it ended, Psalm actually came up to me and… He was like, “Dude, I think you got 3rd place.” And I was like, “No way.” (announcer) EpikWhale, $1.2 million for 3rd. After I won, I met with my family and they all congratulated me. (sister) Did you see? I knew that I would do pretty good, but I didn’t think I’d get, like, top 3. It’s crazy. (off-screen) Amazing! Now if you want to get air conditioning in the car, you can do it. (laughing) (sister) You can upgrade your speaker system! Maybe–Maybe a subwoofer, air conditioning. (cheering) (clothes hangers shuffling) Since the World Cup, I started my senior year in high school… (backpack zippering) Got my driver’s license… And my own car. (door shutting) It’s one of my favorite things. (engine revving) (gear shifting) (engine revving) Since I got my car, I’ve had a lot more freedom. After school, I can just drive with my friends, and we can go get food wherever we want. It’s definitely fun. I have added a few new things to my setup: a new chair, a new PC, a new monitor stand, and a new mouse. So, I can focus on streaming and playing competitive Fortnite, because it’s fun and I like competing and being at the top. (boat motor revving) (water splashing)
It doesn’t surprise us that he’s doing well. It’s been a very wonderful change in our lives, and we couldn’t be happier. (engine revving) I feel like since the World Cup, it definitely has given me a lot of confidence. I haven’t really slowed down, and I’m not going to. Stories from the Battle Bus
(EpikWhale)