Gen. G Announces All-Female Fortnite Squad

Formerly KSV esports, Gen. G has expanded its teams with an all-female Fortnite squad, the company revealed in a press release. In addition, streamer Kristen “KittyPlays” Valnicek joins the organization as head of operations.

Gen. G Adds Female Fortnite Team

The former KSV esports organization is now known as Gen. G. The change in name came earlier this year, coinciding with the creation of a new Clash Royale squad and consolidating the organization’s presence in already established esports.

As a result, Gen. G has been particularly active across several gaming titles, including League of Legends and Overwatch, mostly in South Korea. Now the team is moving into Fortnite with an all-female team that will compete at the highest level of the game.

I am so excited to announce that I will be joining @GenG as Head of New Gaming Initiatives!

This role will allow me to learn the business side as well as continue to grow and develop as a content creator!

This wouldn’t be possible without my incredible community. Thank you 💛 pic.twitter.com/sWxgJER6Wh

— Kristen (@KittyPlays) October 25, 2018

Breaking the news yesterday, October 25, the organization announced that it would add Tina “TINARAES” Perez and Madison “Maddysuun” Mann who will be at the helm of the company’s expansion into an all-female Fortnite squad. The choice of the two players is not random at all.

Perez managed to top the Fortnite Fall Skirmish Week 3, placing 4th. Adding the gamers means that Gen.G is quite prepared to field them in real competition, which will happen over the weekend, with the team attending the Fall Skirmish competition at TwitchCon.

Expanding on its offer significantly, the platform has also added Kriste “KittyPlays” Valnicek who will be responsible for all new gaming initiatives. She took the opportunity to comment on the developments:

There’s so much room for growth across the entire esports landscape and I’m here to help Gen.G take advantage of every possible opportunity.

This Fortnite team is a perfect example of our organization looking at the industry from a wider scale and identifying an untapped segment. Gen.G fans will be incredibly happy about the direction we’re headed in. – Kriste “KittyPlays” Valnicek

Building on the success of Gen. G’s own reputation will allow the new squad to be taken as serious contenders capable of overcoming even more serious and established Fortnite organizations. The upcoming Fall Skirmish will be a first and interesting challenge, which will also help the team find its bearings in a purely competitive setting.

Building a Strong Female Presence

Esports are beginning to open up in a significant and inclusive way. While the main demographic is still young men, attending the Overwatch World finals, for example, reveals a 60-40 crowd of men to women audience.

The involvement of female gamers in esports is quite obvious and what organizations such as Gen. G want to promote in the long term. Though no other organization has created an all-female squad in Fortnite, Gen. G seems confident that others will follow suit, as the involvement of women gamers is increasing.

Games are also becoming increasingly appealing to girls of varying ages, with some of the world’s most famous commentators across games being female. Organizations such as Team Liquid have their own all-female CS:GO rosters, allowing them to compete in specific tournaments and in fact win.

Still, the involvement of female gamers in esports will take some effort. The scene is overly underrepresented, but it couldn’t be too long before mixed competitions become a reality.