Shaq’s not a gamer, but his oldest son, Myles O’Neal, has signed a deal with Epic Games. The company, a $31.5 billion industry giant, is famous for creating the Fortnite multiplayer game, which has attracted more than 400 million players worldwide.
Myles is a musician and gamer whose social media presence often combines the two themes. As he was live-streaming a Fortnite play session along with friends, he ‘leaked’ an upcoming track in a post that included a ‘Map Code’ that Fortnite players could use to find him in the game and play along with him and his friends.
Later, he took to an Instagram reel to make the formal announcement, explaining, “I got a call from my homies over at Fortnite. They’re making a new map, Super End Game, and we did the music for it.” He went on to say that the song, titled “All I Need,” would be released as a standalone track in the near future. For now, he wants players to listen to the song by playing the new Fortnite map.
Shaquille O’Neal hasn’t quite clued into the kind of money that influencers and pro gamers can earn by playing video games. Creating and selling games is one thing—Shaq’s media empire does include the sale of video games—but Shaq isn’t much of a gamer himself and was reportedly shocked to find out how much money big-name gamers can rake in.
One gamer Shaq was not expecting to hear about, the influencer and eSports star xQc, is on the record for earning $50 million with his gaming career. Influencer careers like this also involve marketing expertise and showmanship—Shaq can look to his own son’s strategic social media use as an example—so it isn’t JUST gaming that makes money. For perspective, however, LeBron’s Lakers salary for 2023 is only $47 million. Shaq was left shocked to find out that top gamers can earn money that competes with NBA superstars.
For his gaming and music platform, Myles also partners with entertainment company D.AWN, which supports influencers and specializes in online brands, merch, fashion, and eSports. They created a publicity video featuring “All I Need” and advertising the release date of the new map in Fortnite.
Epic Games has a reputation for involving Fortnite in as many collaborations as possible, drawing a staggering number of brands, celebrities, and properties into the IP. Collaborations have brought in music from famous musicians, visuals from iconic movies, comics, and television brands, guest appearances by fictional characters and real-world celebrities, and the likenesses of products that include sneaker brands and toy brands.
Myles O’Neal might be the first in his famous family to partner with Fortnite, but LeBron James beat both him and his father to the game. The likeness of LeBron was added to Fortnite back in 2021. Another NBA star, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, was added in 2022. There have also been multiple influencers to collaborate with Fortnite as the IP continues to pursue unparalleled reach throughout popular culture, and a groundbreaking deal recently announced with the Disney Corporation promises to create an “entertainment universe connected to Fortnite.”
