8-year-old goes pro in Fortnite with a signing bonus of $33,000

A controversial signing in the Fortnite scene: Joseph Deen has joined a professional organisation at the tender age of eight. He reportedly also got a $33,000 signing bonus doing so.

Joseph “33 Gosu” Deen was signed by American esport organisation Team 33. But contrary to most esport athlethes Deen is just eight years old.

According to Darren Rovell the aspiring professional got a signing bonus of $33,000 and a gaming setup worth $5000 on top.

JUST IN: Pro esports team, Team 33, has signed 8-year-old Joseph Deen to a $33,000 signing bonus. Joseph has been training with the team’s Fortnite group since he was six. pic.twitter.com/nv1AgY1N1j

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 3, 2020

Minors in esports?

“We are beyond excited to have Joseph on our exclusive Team 33 roster,” Team 33 co-founder Tyler Gallagher said according toa href=”https://dotesports.com/fortnite/news/esports-organization-team-33-signs-8-year-old-fortnite-player” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Dot Esports. “We have secretly been scouting talent for our roster and games over the last few years and are proud to officially sign Joseph. We made it a point to train him over the past few years because young gamers are the future, and we want to start training them early.”

The signing has made quite the splash as the USA has strict rules against labor by minors as esports lawyer Ryan Fairchild explains on Twitter:

pic.twitter.com/od7oVYCmbQ

— Ryan Fairchild (@FairPlayEsports) December 3, 2020

It is not the only time that Fortnite has been controversial in terms of its professional players. Fairchild even mentions the case of H1ghsky1 by FaZe Clan in 2019. Back then the player participated in tournaments and streaming although Fortnite has rules in place that set the minimum age at 13.

Another case in the Fortnite scene was a Brazilian nine-year-old, who was subsequently banned for playing in Fortnite’s Arena mode without being old enough

“A Dream come true!”

In a statement given to prnewswire.com Deen was undeterred by the discussion surrounding his signing:
“It’s a dream come true! While many other teams didn’t take me seriously due to my young age, Team 33 scouted me through Fornite games and let me train and learn with them daily. I couldn’t be happier today to become an official member of the team.” he added.

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Image Credit: Team 33