Gonna Need Milk announces $250,000 women’s Fortnite series in North America

Gonna Need Milk, an initiative from North American advertising agency MilkPEP, has announced a major women’s Fortnite tournament series.

The Milk Cup will see North American Fortnite players compete for its $250,000 (~£198,437) prize pool, split between three events and a LAN final.

According to a release, Gonna Need Milk aims to ‘fuel change within professional gaming’ by providing women with a platform and an opportunity to compete for the largest prize pool seen in a North American women’s Fortnite tournament. The prize pool intends to ‘address this pay gap’ between male and female esports players.

The Milk Cup will be operated by women’s esports platform Raidiant and consists of three Major tournaments in May, June, and July. The series will conclude with an in-person Grand Finals event that will be broadcast on Twitch in the Autumn of 2024.

Alongside Raidiant, Gonna Need Milk has partnered with Women of the eRena to host the event. The Milk Cup aims to enable over 400 women to participate in the event.

Gonna Need Milk isn’t the first milk-based initiative to embark on an esports project. In February 2024, Malaysian brand Goodday announced plans to recruit senior citizens to become part of a Counter-Strike 2 roster.

Yin Woon Rani, CEO of MilkPEP, spoke on hosting the tournament: “Our commitment goes beyond words; we actively listen to the gaming community and value their ideas and feedback.

“Gonna Need Milk has a long legacy of supporting and fueling women athletes. We hope to inspire and motivate young girls and women globally and create a gaming industry that supports and rewards talent