Sommerset, Yqzmin, and Fraanticc on the real impact of The Milk Cup: “I think all the exposure to it has helped us so much.”

The Milk Cup Finals at LA Comic Con is showcasing the top women’s Fortnite teams competing for a share of the $250,000 prize pool and the first-ever trophy in the circuit. Ahead of the event, esports.gg caught up with the trio Sommerset, Yqzmin, and Fraanticc.

After teaming up with Sommerset and Fraanticc, Yqzmin entered the circuit as part of a trio that won second place in The Milk Cup Qualifier 1. This earned them all a spot in the inaugural finals. Yqzmin recalled that while there were initial challenges in terms of adjusting to each other's playstyles, they made a decision on who would be the in-game leader (IGL) and soon began to trust each other to make the best calls. After performing well in the aforementioned qualifiers with Fraanticc as their IGL, they felt that they were on the right track.

"I think we're all pretty well-rounded players for the most part. Anyone can do anything," Fraanticc told esports.gg. "I think we could trust each other in any important scenarios in the game. If somebody else is leading and they need to take a second to heal or do something else, we could trust the other person to take over and lead the team. We did have a few issues with who exactly that person is going to be because I think we all kind of came from a spot where we were IGLing. We were always thinking. So we had to learn to not think."

Now, with The Milk Cup Finals trophy in everyone's sights this weekend, Sommerset reflected on how her team got to this point in the first place. She shared with esports.gg that it was thanks to The Milk Cup circuit that players could break stereotypes surrounding girls in gaming and esports. To her, simply featuring gameplay in a high-profile tournament like The Milk Cup is key to normalizing the participation of girls in the competitive scene.

"This is a really big deal — especially for gaining respect from other people and not being looked down on or just being a joke," Sommerset said. "I feel like there's been a lot of really helpful moments for that — like a girl pairing up with a pro and doing really well in a Cash Cup like in normal tournaments. And then having The Milk Cup itself being such a big, remarkable tournament for people to watch is a way to share your skill level and just to show what you're like against everybody else."

Fraanticc shared her own experience within the Fortnite scene as well. After hearing some classmates talking about the game, she started playing it on mobile with her cousins, staying up all night for all of the new seasons. At first, it was just a fun activity, however, she eventually recognized her potential and decided to take gaming more seriously. Her mother became her biggest supporter.

As for Yqzmin, she initially felt isolated in a male-dominated gaming space and struggled to find a team while facing stereotypes that assumed girls were inferior players. Over time, however, seeing more women and girls in gaming helped change this perception. Yqzmin had always possessed the skill, but it was only thanks to opportunities like The Milk Cup that she began to truly believe in herself.

"There were only boys. I've never seen a girl playing. It was hard just knowing that there's people that will treat you differently just because you're a girl," Yqzmin told esports.gg, adding how she once joined a match in Fortnite and got shut down upon joining voice chat. "It just makes it harder for us to even find people to play with. I think now it's definitely way different, and I think all the exposure to it has helped us so much."

Additionally, once Yqzmin showcased her achievements at tournaments, her parents began to take her seriously and fully supported her dreams.

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more news, interviews, and updates!