‘Fortnite’ expert ‘Ninja’ is first pro gamer to land ESPN The Magazine cover story

By Cody Perez Published February 28, 2020

World-famous Fortnite player “Ninja” will be the first professional gamer to grace the cover of ESPN The Magazine in its 20-plus-year history when its next issue lands. Ninja himself broke the news recently on Twitter.

The issue entitled “The Legend of Ninja, Biggest Gamer in the World” will be hitting store shelves both digitally and physically Friday, September 21. An in-depth feature will detail the esports star’s life and story of how Tyler “Ninja” Blevins rose to such unprecedented fame this year. In addition, this gaming-centric issue of ESPN The Magazine will also focus on other related esports topics.

Recommended Videos

For instance, it will include a piece entitled “Sunday in Jacksonville” that tackles the Jacksonville, Florida, shooting incident during a recent Madden tournament that resulted in two people killed and 11 wounded. According to ESPN, this piece will be the “definitive” story of what happened, why it happened, and what it means for the future of the esports community.

Fortnite Ninja ESPN The Magazine — ESPN

The Ninja issue of ESPN The Magazine will also offer a guide to esports for newcomers that details which game would be best for them to try. Readers will get an inside look at the Sea Salt Suite, a place that EVO fighting game competitors are known to hang out at after competing at the annual event.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be right to have Fortnite pro Ninja on the cover of ESPN The Magazine and not focus on the game that made him famous. Accordingly, this issue will take a look at the dances in Fortnite with Olympic skater and Dancing with the Stars winner Adam Rippon breaking them all down.

After skyrocketing to popularity earlier this year — thanks in part to some Fortnite Battle Royale streaming sessions with rapper Drake that saw some records fall — it’s no surprise that Ninja is on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. Since then, Blevins has continued to break records, as well as win numerous competitions like the E3 $1 million celebrity charity event hosted by Epic Games. He also still holds the record for the most popular streamer on Twitch, with more than 11 million followers and an average of over 43,000 viewers per stream.

Cody is that stereotypical nerdy otaku guy. He loves everything Japanese from niche visual novels like 999 and Kara no Shoujo…

Topics

Gaming

Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair in Avowed

Environmental shot of Galawains Tusks Slumbering Fields in Avowed.

You will probably have a good grip on all the tips and tricks needed to beat Avowed by the time you reach the second zone, Emerald Stair. However, no matter how many abilities you have or how good your gear is, finding a missing person with just a vague hint never gets any easier. We already helped Sanza find a missing cartographer in Dawntrail, but he has lost another in Emerald Stair and needs us to track them down. Like last time, the Avowed won't tell you where to go so we explored the entire region to show you exactly where to track them down.
Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair

The first cartographer quest at least gave you the general direction to find them, but this time we are only given the name of the area within Emerald Stair. The area in question is called Naku Tedek and is the isolated island on the south end of the map.

Gaming

3 PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (March 14-16)

The PC version of Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut.

The beginning of March was light in upcoming PS5 games, but the long-delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows is right around the corner. But we still have an entire weekend to fill before it comes out, which is where your PlayStation Plus subscription pays off. The Essential games for March were incredibly strong, but the back catalogue of Extra and Premium games has the perfect selection to get you excited for all the biggest upcoming video games, like Death Stranding 2. Or, it could be the perfect way to find a fun, bite-sized game to hold you over until next week's releases hit and dominate your time. As always, I have hand-selected only the best games in PlayStation Plus for you to play this weekend.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut - Announcement Trailer | PS5, PS4

Even before Shadows was announced, Ghost of Tsushima was touted as being the Japanese AC game that Ubisoft should have made years ago. While that is a reductive way to frame it, there's no denying there are similarities, and the two will be directly compared. Whether you plan on playing Shadows or not, Ghost is a magnificent game that still boasts some of the best graphics on PS5. Exploring the vibrant island of Tsushima as you follow the wind and animals rather than waypoints gives you a deep appreciation for the world you're fighting for. If you missed out on the Director's Cut content, jumping back in for the Iki Island DLC is perhaps the best part of the experience.

Gaming

3 Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (March 14-16)

Assassin's Creed Odyssey review

Game Pass serves many functions as a service. Some use it to play the best Xbox Series X games on release, others lean on it between games, and everything in between. One of our favorite ways to take advantage of the massive Game Pass catalog is in preparation for upcoming Xbox Series X games. Whether it be playing previous games in a series to get caught up, or games in a similar genre to get in the mood, Game Pass has what you're looking for. We have our eye on Assassin's Creed Shadows next week just like you, but what about this weekend? Here are the best Xbox Game Pass games to boot up over the break.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Launch Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

All the best Assassin's Creed games are on Game Pass, but we feel Odyssey is the best of them since transitioning into RPGs. Historically, this is the earliest game in the timeline, though that doesn't matter much since there are only loose threads connecting the games at this point. What does matter is how vast and enjoyable a world this is to explore. It isn't quite as bloated as Valhalla and will get you back into the groove of parkouring, stealthing, and fighting all over again. The story here is also one of the best in the series if you have the time to go all the way with it. But even just dabbling in it so you don't get burned out before Shadows is a great way to prepare yourself.