PALO ALTO, Calif. — October 19, 2021 — Step, the all-in-one financial solution built for the next generation, today announced an exclusive partnership with Fortnite World Cup Champion and two-time Esports Player of the Year, Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf of Sentinels Pro. The partnership aims to provide teen gamers with access to modern financial products that help them make gaming purchases, manage their esports winnings responsibly and improve gameplay with a unique opportunity to train alongside Bugha himself.

The Gen Z gaming craze

Gaming is massively popular among Gen Z consumers with an estimated 45 million U.S. teens playing video games, representing 20% of the industry overall. This figure is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years as more teens aspire to turn these hobbies into full-time gigs on the competitive esports circuit, much like Bugha did.

In 2019, the 16-year-old Pennsylvania native won the inaugural Fortnite World Cup, beating out 40 million players for the title and a $3 million prize. Today, Bugha is at the top of his game, ranked the 12th highest earner in all of esports and just added the title of Step investor to his resume. As for Fortnite, it’s become the third most-played game worldwide with over 350 million registered players, hitting more than 3.2 billion hours of gameplay each month. However, as more teen gamers are pivoting to competitive play––with $6 million prize pools at stake––it’s highlighted several gaps that need to be closed in order to meet their modern financial needs.

Why teen gamers need better financial tools

With 34% of teens still unbanked, many Gen Z gamers don’t have access to their own financial tools. Whether they’re looking for a way to pay for game upgrades or need somewhere to put their esports earnings, there’s still a heavy reliance on their parents. As a result, teen gamers are left with very limited access, personal ownership or responsibility over their money. The Step x Bugha partnership is an early effort to tackle some of these long-standing challenges and free up teens to enjoy gaming on their own terms.

“When I first got into esports, I was faced with a lot of obstacles as the equipment was upwards of $1,000 and winnings were typically distributed through platforms that required you to be at least 18-years-old like PayPal,” said Bugha, the Sentinels Fortnite Pro. “Esports as an industry hasn’t catered well to teens, so I’m thrilled to be partnering with Step to make it accessible to more people and ensure every teen gamer has access to the financial tools they need.”