The Milk Cup, a first-of-its-kind Fortnite tournament offering the largest women’s esports prize pool in North America hosted by MilkPEP and GALE, made history this past weekend at LA Comic Con. The Milk Cup not only broke records–it reset the gaming culture, inspiring a paradigm shift that will move esports from a culture of exclusion and misogyny to one of respect and recognition.
The Milk Cup was the first-ever live, in-person Fortnite women’s final and one of the most viewed women’s tournaments in North American esports history designed to drive equity in gaming. Garnering 20 million impressions on X, The Milk Cup Championship had 2.7 million views, more than five million when combined with the three qualifier rounds.
Created by GALE, The Milk Cup featured 99 of the top women’s Fortnite players. The competition took place at a custom-built activation that blended the digital gaming experience with the real-world community. The live event was broadcast on Twitch and the main stage of LA Comic Con. Team Moxie reigned supreme, taking home the $250,000 prize pool.
The tournament is one of several efforts from MilkPEP and GALE to create equity in women’s sports, especially esports. Despite making up almost half of the gaming community, women represent only 5% of professional gamers, with no women in the top 500 highest overall earners. In 2024, the top woman gamer made 1/20th of the top male gamer’s pay after competing in over twice as many tournaments. With initiatives like The Milk Cup, Milk and GALE are fueling change within professional gaming and empowering women and girls in sports.
In addition to the competitors and fans, several Fortnite personalities were in attendance at the championship, including Bugha and ThePeachCobbler–a top Fortnite streamer who teamed up with Milk to promote the tournament. ThePeachCobbler was one of several partners–others were Women of the eRena (WOTE), RaidiantGG’s all-women production team, and Moonrock.
GALE Creative Director Ali Eng says, “Milk and GALE are pioneers in the gaming space: identifying something that’s never been done and, in response, creating something spectacular. The Milk Cup will inspire a movement throughout all sports–and we can’t wait to see what’s next.”
