Esports.GG’s MonsterDFace spoke to one of the biggest rising stars in Fortnite, Xtra Gaming’s Reet. The teenager shared stories of his rise, his aspirations for building his brand and plans to compete in the NA East region.
The legend of Nathan "Reet" Amundson begins well before DreamHack Anaheim 2020. His Fortnite career began like many others, playing on a console with friends. XTRA Reet won money during the first Trio Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) and purchased his own computer. In 2020 his competitive placements and social media growth skyrocketed. Now, Reet is a household name among competitive Fortnite fans.
The Spotlight Shines at DreamHack Anaheim 2020
Reet placed top 100 in several events, including a Solo Cash Cup win, at the end of 2019. DreamHack hosted the first major event of 2020. It was a LAN event in Anaheim. Reet stood out during the tournament and put himself on the map.
After a poor start, he dropped several double-digit elimination matches in both the Open and Semi-Final rounds. Reet described his games, "Day Two, I had a crazy pop off. I had a 19 kill win." He would finish 5th in that round and 50th in the Finals.
Top talent from around the world flew out the event, so this performance made a big statement. Despite not reaching the Finals, Reet had already proved he could hang with the best.
Reet re-signed for two more years with XTRA Gaming
Reet joined XTRA Gaming early in 2020. Both Reet and XTRA grew together throughout their relationship. Reet mentioned, "This was my first organization...I had like 200 followers and XTRA had like 1,000." He still remains with the organization over a year later. They both look very different now on Twitter and have grown together. Reet sits at 146,000+ followers while XTRA Gaming has over 57,000 followers.
In the conversation, Reet shared nothing but praise for XTRA, "You get a family vibe. It's more than just a team." He clearly does love the organization as the two just locked in a two-year deal. Often Fortnite contracts only last a few months. Announcing a multiple-year deal is rare.
The Controller phenom headed East?
One of the best controller players in the world wants to head to North America East (NAE) to compete. Currently, Reet plays in the North America West (NAW) region. It does not garner the interest or prize pool as NAE or Europe. That is why Reet a move could happen soon. He said, "I want to go East this year. This year or next year, I want to go to the East Coast." This is not simply chasing larger prize pools.
XTRA Reet wants to prove that NAW compares to any other region. "The Top West players are 100% some of the best players in the world," Reet tells ESPORTS.GG. He would not be the first to make this move. Several players, such as FaZe Cented and NRG Edgey, relocated East to compete against the best. If Reet performs similar to those two, he will be just fine.
Next comes the brand
In addition to moving East, XTRA Reet aspires to build a strong brand. Fans can expect new content coming from the creator. Reet said, "I want to build a brand, rather than just a player." Typically, his content focuses on tournament highlights and clips. He hinted that both facecam streams and IRL content is on the way.
Not only is new content on the way, but also a continued dominance in Fortnite Tournaments. Reet climbs higher and higher every time he picks up a controller. For Reet, the story has just begun. There are many more tales to write. Next up is Trio FNCS on April 23rd. You can follow Reet's journey on Twitter.