2019 Fortnite World Cup - the days before the finals

19 Oct

Here’s the second part of the inside story of benjyfishy and MrSavage during the days in New York City leading up to the World Cup solo and duo finals. (Here’s the first part of the story.)

The story is told through the lenses of Anne Fish (mother of benjyfishy) and me (Johnny Troset Andersen, father of MrSavage). It originally appeared in 2021 in the book Build It Like benjyfishy & MrSavage: The Unofficial Fortnite Esports Guide for Players and Parents. More photos have been added to this online article compared to the book.

Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish (left), Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson, and Martin “MrSavage” Foss Andersen at the player’s lounge

New York

Johnny: ‘Both Benjy and Martin were due to attend a bootcamp with other NRG players prior to the World Cup tournament, therefore we arrived in New York City a few days early. Martin and I travelled with Peter, and we coordinated our journey with Benjy and Anne to make sure we arrived on the same day as they did.’

Anne: ‘Benjy and I were fortunate to travel with Benjy’s brother, Charles, and Charles’ girlfriend Amina. This allowed us a chance to spend some valuable family time and share this incredible adventure together. It was the first time that Benjy had ever been to the USA, so even flying was a big adventure. On arrival, the first thing that was noticeable was the heat, which is something we don’t really experience too often in the UK. Upon checking into the hotel one of the really cool first impressions was the key cards for the rooms, which were overlaid with Fortnite characters.’

Johnny: ‘Some of Martin's family members traveled to the USA to support him. This included his older brother Mikael, grandmother Anne Mari, uncle Gøran, and cousins Jørgen Mathias and Jacob. All the World Cup players were booked into the same hotel, the Grand Hyatt on 42nd Street in New York City. The lobby of the hotel was the focal point of the experience, as all the players could be seen chilling in the lobby, along with fans who would congregate to get an opportunity to see their idols and get pictures and autographs.’

Benjy with brother Charles and his girlfriend Amina. Photo credit benjyfishy.

Martin’s family (left to right) Anne Mari (grandmother), Martin, Jacob (cousin), Jørgen Mathias (cousin), Mikael (brother), Gøran (uncle), and Johnny. Photo credit MrSavage.

HELIX ESPORTS CENTER

Anne: ‘After checking into our hotel, we made our way to the Helix eSports Center in New Jersey, which had been booked as a practice centre for the whole NRG team, in the days leading up to the final. The centre was extremely well set up, as NRG players had their own designated room. There were also other rooms assigned to teams, including Ghost Gaming and Solary. Having since traveled to other LAN events around the world, we did not appreciate at the time how good this bootcamp was compared to some of the others we have subsequently experienced. We felt very welcome and it was a great opportunity to meet some of the other teams, players and their parents.’

Welcome screen at the Helix esports center in New Jersey. Perhaps the best esports centers the boys have visited. Photo credit MrSavage.

MEET AND GREET

Johnny: ‘The World Cup week also saw Benjy and Martin’s first Meet and Greet event, which was sponsored by Nathan’s Hot Dogs on 368 Broadway in New York City. None of us really knew what to expect and would anyone even show? Our fears were soon dispelled as there were fans queuing around the block to get a chance to meet the boys along with the rest of the NRG players. Little things like perfecting an autograph in a hurry is something you don’t really think too much about.’

Martin outside the ‘Meet and greet’. Photo credit NRG.

NRG FAM GET TOGETHER

Johnny: ‘The days leading up to the World Cup primarily consisted of copious amounts of practice for the boys, almost 24/7, with the occasional opportunity to chill and relax. One such occasion was when everyone got together for the NRG family dinner, where we finally got to meet other members of the team in person and the people behind the organisation. We met Brett Lautenbach (President), Andy Miller (Founder and CEO), Jaime Cohenca (General Manager) and Grady Rains (Executive Producer).’

From left to right: EpicWhale, Jaime, Anne, Benjy, Charles, Amina, Johnny, Brett, Peter, Mike (EpicWhale's dad), Andy, Zayt, Martin, Grady, Symfuhny. Photo credit NRG.

Anne: ‘We all enjoyed the NRG family dinner and get together. The players were given memento of the occasion in the form of a Gucci wallet.’

Martin, Jaime, and Brett. Jaime was Martin’s player manager during his time at NRG and did a tremendous job guiding Martin and his team, for which Martin and Johnny always will be grateful.

SOLARY NO-BUILD CHALLENGE

Anne: ‘Whilst at the Helix eSports Center, Benjy and Martin participated in the #NoBuildChallenge tournament streamed by the French esports organisation, Solary, in cooperation with World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF). I found this to be a particularly poignant moment, as it was the first time that Benjy did a facecam live on stream. Up until that point Benjy had only used either a mouse or keyboard cam, so this was a big deal for him.’

A memorable moment at the Helix eSports Center was when Benjy and Martin took on the challenge to break the Fortnite Pinata Llama. Photo credit benjyfishy.

PLAYERS’ LOUNGE

Johnny: ‘The event itself was well organised by Epic Games, but flew past in a bit of a whirlwind. The boys put a lot of pressure on themselves as did all the players participating and everyone had high expectations that they were going to do well. The nature of professional players in any sport or discipline is to be goal orientated to win and be the best; Benjy and Martin are no exception to this rule. This ultimately puts extra pressure and stress on us as parents, as you want to support your children to achieve their best.’

Anne: ‘The tournament took place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium over the course of three days. In addition, there was a walkthrough preview day for everyone, combined with a media day for the press before the competition. In the players’ lounge, I was very excited and star-struck to see some of esports’ biggest names like Ninja, Tfue and the casters including Sund0wn. Benjy wasn’t fazed at all. He was just excited to finally be at the event.’

From left to right: Tfue, Zayt, Benjy, Bizzle, Symfuhny, Endretta's dad Erik, Martin, Endretta, EpikWhale. Photo credit MrSavage.

Anne: ‘The film crew that had come to our houses were also doing the filming at the event. We were all slowly getting used to having cameras feet away from us watching our every move, although it was still a little daunting. Amongst all the uncertainty, I felt a sense of calm reassurance to see the familiar faces that we had spent time with during the summer, and this helped to calm our nerves for the events that were to follow. To be able to thank them in person for all the work they had done on the finished profile videos was very special. Both Johnny and I were very emotional watching the videos for the first time. Words can’t convey how tremendously proud I am of Benjy’s achievements at such a young age.’

PRESS CONFERENCE

Before the start of the 2019 Fortnite World Cup, a press conference was held featuring some of the top competitors at the event, including Benjy and Martin. They were asked questions about their thoughts ahead of the tournament. They both handled the questions well and were not overwhelmed by the experience.

What is motivating each of you in this tournament?

Benjy: ‘Getting to this point is really big for me. It's always been a goal to qualify for a major tournament and be able to compete in it. Now that I've achieved that, I think my goal is to be known as one of the best players in the world.’

Martin: ‘I feel like I've already won just being able to meet everyone I've been talking to. It's been one of the best experiences of my life. I feel like the prize pool is just a bonus.’

How did your friends and family react to your career choice?

Benjy: ‘I remember I won a $20,000 tournament a few months ago with MrSavage, and that was the first money I had ever won from playing the game. I told my friends at school and they couldn't believe it. They thought I was lying at first, so I had to show them the clip of me winning. All of my friends and family have been really supportive.’

Martin: ‘I'm really grateful for my family's support, because they're really, really supportive of what I do.’

Benjy and Martin being interviewed by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) before the 2019 Fortnite World Cup finals. Photo credit MrSavage.

Next part

The story continues with the finals and the aftermath! Leave your email address below and hit the subscribe button to make sure you don’t miss out on it.

Johnny Troset Andersen https://deeperdown.com