On Saturday, the 99th floor of Willis Tower in Chicago will play host to possibly the most interesting Fortnite event yet. Red Bull Rise Till Dawn features Fortnite, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, and an all-night stream from when the sun sets, roughly 8:21 p.m. CT, until the sun rises around 5:35 a.m.
Teams of two will battle on the updated Season 5 Fortnite map, which includes new areas, skins, and battle pass challenges, to see who can accumulate the most points before the sun comes up.
If you can't make it, don't worry; ESPN and Tyler "FionnOnFire" Erzberger will be on the ground to bring you coverage live on this page via social interactions, photos, and regular updates on everything that's happening at the event.
The event is over! Relive the action by taking a look at our coverage below!
5:51 a.m.
And the #RedBullRiseTillDawn winners are... pic.twitter.com/9xCQtqigLg
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
5:48 a.m.
11 hours later, it is over @Ninja, @JGhosty, and @DrLupoOnTwitch are superheroes. They took pictures with every single person in attendance. When they had down time they talked to fans and signed even more stuff.
That's all for #RedBullRiseTillDawn pic.twitter.com/0A7o88uwsd
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
5:30 a.m.
They did it. After 12 games, hundreds of kills, and two victories, Ninja and Dr. Lupo completed Red Bull's Rise Till Dawn. The sun is rising and Ninja is still signing autographs for the fans.
5:23 a.m.
Even at the end, @Ninja continues to interact with fans and sign jerseys with the same enthusiasm he had eight hours ago.#RedBullRiseTillDawn pic.twitter.com/o4VIReKbnA
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
4:43 a.m.
For the second game in a row, Ninja is eliminated early, but this time DrLupo joins him. There's one more game left for a Victory Royale.
4:12 a.m.
Ninja taken out during the opening moments of the Group B's second set, leaving DrLupo to fend for himself. The silver lining is Ninja has a plate of food in front of him he can eat.
4:01 a.m.
How does he do it? 126,000 watching Ninja's stream at four in the morning as Group B gets ready for its last set of games. Absolute unit.
3:57 a.m.
Back-to-back Victory Royales for @DrLupoOnTwitch and @ninja at the #RedBullRiseTillDawn event. pic.twitter.com/mB2xHAlh3K
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
3:27 a.m.
With a barrage of C4 that many would deem overkill, Ninja and DrLupo took their first victory in the Rise Till Dawn event proper. "WE DIDN'T GET GOOSED!" exclaimed Ninja, flashing the patented Aaron Rodgers championship belt celebration. This is ironic, because Ninja is a Lions fan, and Rodgers is the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.
3:04 a.m.
Breakfast is served. On the menu: pancake and sausage sandwiches, bacon and egg croissants, breakfast burritos, fruit, and Red Bull.
2:48 a.m.
Overheard at #RiseTillDawn
"...it's only Red Bull in there. I can't. I've had enough. I NEED water."
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
2:40 a.m.
As Group A comes back for another series of rounds, Ninja's stream drops to around 115,000. Pretty solid for almost three in the morning.
2:37 a.m.
It is 2:30 AM at Rise Till Dawn and Ninja has gotten into a dance contest with no music being played. I don't even know what is going on here in Chicago anymore.
2:05 a.m.
You win some, you lose some. #RiseTillDawn pic.twitter.com/kIrGxBMeg4
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
1:56 a.m.
Overheard at #RiseTillDawn
"I feel bad like I'm disappointing you."
"I wouldn't choose anyone else to play with."
"I'm just terrible at this."
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
1:50 a.m.
Overheard at #RiseTillDawn
"These guys have already gone through 30 cases of Red Bull."
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
1:45 a.m.
With 38 people left, Ninja and DrLupo have their worst showing yet at the Rise Till Dawn event. There's roughly four hours of play time left.
1:41 a.m.
Overheard at #RiseTillDawn
"S***, I GRENADED OURSELVES!"
— Darin @ ESPN Esports (@darinjk2) July 22, 2018
1:27 a.m.
More times than not, Ninja is perishing to the storm rather than others getting the eliminations, meaning those bonus bounty points are going to no one. On a lighter note, Ninja's brother was eliminated first last game, which brought out many laughs from the streaming superstar.
1:20 a.m.
Will @Ninja win tonight? His wife and manager @JGhosty still believes
Also, they've hosted events in Vegas and Chicago. Hey Texas, you might be next pic.twitter.com/kR7P96d4A6
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
1:10 a.m.
We are halfway through Rise Till Dawn, and Ninja is still winless. What will happen first: the sun rising or Ninja seeing "Victory Royale"?
1:00 a.m.
As Group B gets underway, Ninja's stream remains steady at around 145,000 viewers on Twitch. His and DrLupo's enthusiasm continues to be the driving force behind Rise Till Dawn's success.
12:47 a.m.
We are reaching the supposed halfway point of #RiseTillDawn
I talked to some players who got eliminated by @Ninja pic.twitter.com/ATbfiK7gML
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
12:45 a.m.
After the third game of Group A, Group B is about to take over. Nearly every game ends with strategy talks among teammates, with many "We should have dropped here" and "I ran out of materials" there.
So far, no friendships seem to have been broken.
12:13 a.m.
Overheard at #RiseTillDawn:
"I'm landing straight into Tilted. I'm going hard. ...I'm sipping on the slurp juice, summer edition."
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
12:12 a.m.
A crowd materializes around the team that eventually took the second game at #RiseTillDawn by eliminating Ninja. pic.twitter.com/DdMJ3aeZyQ
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
11:45 p.m.
At the start of the second game, Ninja's stream is pulling in over 150,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch. The delay seems to have minimally impacted the event.
11:44 p.m.
Who eliminated @DrLupoOnTwitch and @Ninja in the first game?
Twitch BrandonTV (left) took out Ninja, and BertTheBigHurt had DrLupo's number. pic.twitter.com/VXdYv4VJYy
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
11:40 p.m.
Players getting ready for the second game.
11:35 p.m.
And the first match of #RiseTillDawn goes to @Ninja and @DrLupoOnTwitch....NO!
The marquee team of the event gets taken out at the end to lose the initial match of the event. pic.twitter.com/qiNQxve1Hq
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
11:15 p.m.
After an almost three hour delay, the Red Bull Rise Till Dawn event has begun following Ninja winning his final warmup match to the delight of the crowd. Who from the crowd of fans will be able to take down the king?
11:08 p.m.
Unstoppable.@ninja racks up 19 eliminations during his last #fortnite duo with DrLupo. pic.twitter.com/ZqavJ0SQrW
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
10:41 p.m.
Looks like all computers have updated. There are so many computers next to one another that there is a noticeable temperature difference compared to where Ninja and DrLupo are playing.
10:32 p.m.
After signing autographs and meeting fans with DrLupo for nearly and hour (and maintaining around 117,000 viewers on Twitch), Ninja has resumed playing Fortnite as computers continue updating.
Current food selection: cheese burger sliders, pulled buffalo chicken sliders and hot dogs with various condiments. ESPN Esports has ordered a deep dish Hawaiian pizza with bacon to the 99th floor.
10:08 p.m.
We are nearing a two hour delay at Red Bull's Rise Till Dawn event at the Willis Tower in Chicago. After playing a few friendly matches on stage, the event's marquee player, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, has begun doing an unplanned autograph session with the fans in attendance. No ETA has been given to when the tournament will start.
9:42 p.m.
Ninja flanked by his family. His two brothers are in attendance with their arms around their brother pic.twitter.com/jLGHfQOasX
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
9:40 p.m.
Ninja and DrLupo victories so far tonight: one.
9:38 p.m.
.@FionnOnFire rocks the luminescent Coconut Berry Red Bull drink at #RiseTillDawn
Rumor is you can use them as lamps to work your way through the Chicago fog. pic.twitter.com/jcrUYG08Mr
— Darin @ ESPN Esports (@darinjk2) July 22, 2018
9:30 p.m.
While a good number of computers continue to update to the latest Fortnite patch, delaying the start of the event, Ninja and DrLupo are pushing about 143,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch to keep people entertained.
How long can the free Red Bull placate the audience in Willis Tower?
9:16 p.m.
Delay at #RiseTillDawn now nearing one hour. Computers are updating the latest patch. Appears to be like half of the computers are updated with roughly half to go@Ninja and @DrLupoOnTwitch are entertaining the crowd on the main stage pic.twitter.com/7XAAk2udwh
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
8:59 p.m.
Ping issues at Rise Till Dawn
Event was supposed to begin 30 minutes ago but still issues with ping and logging in
Ninja talking on stage about fluctuating between 100~250 ping
We are playing on the 99th floor of a building with 100 players on said floor playing at one time pic.twitter.com/E9eAoKOmRw
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
8:57 p.m.
Ninja and DrLupo on the stage at the Red Bull Rise Till Dawn event in Chicago.
8:50 p.m.
Ninja experiences his first death at Loot Lake, but the bright side is with his shark skin on, he looked kind of cool crawling around in the water with the fin sticking out.
8:49 p.m.
Red Bull Rise Till Dawn has begun...with a delay. Players having trouble logging in. After a bit of trying, @Ninja is in and playing fun duos with @DrLupoOnTwitch whist playing up to the crowd
We still have 8 1/2 hours to go pic.twitter.com/yd5zHZnmV1
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
8:39 p.m.
-- As Ninja gets underway at the Red Bull Rise Till Dawn event, roughly 119,000 join him on his stream.
8:32 p.m.
Boston.
Nashville.
Miami.
Los Angeles.@FionnOnFire talks to some of the players that have come far and wide to take out @Ninja at the #RiseTillDawn event. pic.twitter.com/XCPqZAMlAC
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
8:28 p.m.
Emergency alarm went off#
Suite employee turned it off and the fans went crazy pic.twitter.com/cOH8vwbq0S
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
7:45 p.m.
I am surrounded by Fortnite players
The man in the bucket hat has promised me he will take out @Ninja tonight pic.twitter.com/MzwSjZhYs0
— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) July 22, 2018
7:39 p.m.
We're going from dusk until dawn with @ninja and #fortnite at the Red Bull Rise Till Dawn event on the 99th floor of the Willis Tower in Chicago! https://t.co/NXKrvui5jt pic.twitter.com/3f6awiJjtj
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) July 22, 2018
Read:
Ninja talks Fortnite, Chicago and being a role model for younger audiences
Watch:
Ninja explains why Lions are his favorite NFL team
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