According to Fortnite: Battle Royale developer Epic Games, more than 125 million people are playing the super-popular video game, which drops 100 players onto an expansive island where they fight to be the last person standing. The free-to-play game has become such a cultural touchstone that it's spawned celebrity players, who make a living by playing Fortnite in tournaments and live-streaming footage of their gameplay online.
One of the most prominent Fortnite players is Travis “Ninja” Belvins, a 27-year-old resident of Grayslake, Illinois, who logs onto his computer every day to stream himself playing the game for his thousands of loyal fans. Over the weekend, Ninja revealed that he's signed an endorsement deal with Red Bull and will be hosting a Fortnite event in Chicago to celebrate his partnership with the ubiquitous energy drink brand.
On July 21, Ninja and 199 other Fortnite players will ascend to the 99th floor of the Willis Tower to take part in the Red Bull: Rise Till Dawn tournament, where participants will play the game from the time the sun sets at 8:21pm until it rises the following morning 5:35am. The tournament will be a duos competition, with pairs of players duking it out on the digital battleground until only one team remains. The winning duo will get a $2,250 cash prize and the whole overnight tournament will be streamed on Ninja's Twitch channel.
If you're hoping to enter the tournament and show off your fort-building and shotgun-blasting skills, you're a little too late. Entries to the event sold out in a matter of hours after it was announced yesterday, so you'll just have to settle for watching the action via the live stream.