Twitch and Epic Games are teaming up to host a Fortnite Super Bowl-themed tournament. Officially titled the "Twitch Rivals Streamer Bowl," this competition will feature 16 different duos comprised of popular streamers and NFL players of their choosing. Teams will be facing off to win money for charity to the tune of $500,000, which Twitch will be donating.
The tournament will be held live on January 30 at 5 pm EST from the NFL Players Association party in Miami, Florida. It will be streamed on the official Twitch Rivals channel with individual competitors hosting their own perspectives on their personal pages. An hour-long pre-game show will kick off the festivities with the tournament beginning at 6 pm EST.
As for the teams, here is the full list of everyone that will be participating:
- Bugha and JuJu Smith-Schuster
- LosPollosTV and Jamal Adams
- Symfuhny and D.K. Metcalf
- Dr. Lupo and Keenan Allen
- Tfue and Kyler Murray
- Nick Mercs and Mike Evans
- TimTheTatman and Johnathan Abram
- Chapand Kyle Van Noy
- Clix and Tarik Cohen
- NickEh30 and David Morgan
- Reverse2K and Baker Mayfield
- Elded and Kenyan Drake
- Ayden and Kurt Benkert
- UnknownxArmy and Avonte Maddox
- NateHill and Eddie Vanderdoes
- BrookeAB and Eric Ebron
Initially, the NFL teaming up with Epic Games might seem crazy. Fortnite has basically nothing in common with football, apart from being a competitive game. As we move farther and farther into the modern era, though, it seems as if kids are more interested in video games than professional sports. Marrying those pastimes together might be a good way to generate interest in the NFL from a new audience.
Even if this is an obvious marketing ploy, the exposure given to these streamers will be immeasurable. Just 10 years ago, streaming for a living was a pipedream. Now, it's become a realistic goal for many to achieve. Someone like Ninja or Dr. Disrespect is more recognizable to today's youth than many Hollywood actors (or NFL players).
Maybe in a few years, Fortnite will be streaming on the same day as the Super Bowl. It's a very real possibility with how ridiculously popular the shooter has become.
Source: Twitch Rivals, Polygon