Bugha Hit By Streak of Unfortunate Events
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for reigning Fortnite World Cup champion Bugha.
After taking home the $3 million grand prize at the event last month, the young esports star has been hit with an increasingly sad string of bad luck, climaxing on Saturday when police surrounded his home after being called over a “threat” at the house.
Has Bugha’s Luck Run Out?
Going back to shortly after his win two weeks ago, Bugha’s unlucky streak began after the revelations from RyanB and Slasher that he’d be receiving nowhere near the amount of prize money he’d thought he’d won.
According to their research, Bugha’s winnings would be taxed $1.2 million by the federal government, and another $265,000 to the state of New York in state income tax.
The tax on his winnings didn’t stop there, however, as his contract with his team Sentinels saw $600,000 of his earnings going directly to the team, leaving Bugha with a mere $900,000 in prize pool earnings.
According to Slasher, orgs picking up players for the World Cup were putting in winning takes of 10-30% depending on the player and team, so the amount taken isn’t too surprising to see, though it is disappointing considering how little teams tend to take in other esports.
Following the earning takings, Bugha’s also struggled with people hacking his Twitch and Twitter accounts, with the former getting used by the hackers to gift subs to dozens of people.
The Swatting Incident
While these hacks and the heavy taxation on his earnings have already been enough trouble for the young star, the swatting that occurred to him Saturday night really put the spotlight on the Bugha’s post-win struggles.
Disappearing in the middle of his stream Saturday night, Bugha returned a short while later to inform his viewers that the police had arrived at his house after someone pretending to be him had called in saying he’d killed his father and was holding his mother hostage.
The situation quickly de-escalated after Bugha’s father answered the door when officers knocked and one of them recognized Bugha from the news.
While no one was hurt from the incident, the swatting really shows how dangerous fame can be for esport pros, especially young ones not prepared to deal with all the public attention they receive.
Hopefully, Bugha’s fortunes will turn around in the coming weeks, but it’s likely we haven’t heard the last of the newly minted pro’s struggles.
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