Sixteen Twitch streamers are participating in a $20,000 Uno tournament this afternoon. Does Uno have an esports scene? Now it does!
Popular streamers and esports players like Fortnite streamer Turner Tfue Tenney, esports veteran Kat Gunn, Hearthstone player Jeffrey TrumpSC Shih, and Magic the Gathering pro Jim Davis are participating in the event. The tournament is unfolding over the course of a few hours this afternoon, with two group stages feeding into the finals. A total of $20,000 is up for grabs: First place in each group gets $2,000, with prizes spread downward from there. First place in the finals awards $4,000.
Uno is largely a game of luck, but there certainly are mind games and strategy involved. Thats what makes it so weirdly compelling to watch in the tournament format its chaos, with a heavy dose of social strategy. (All the players are speaking with each other over Discord, which adds another layer.) With so much money on the line, it can get pretty intense.
Its not totally random that its Uno being played in a tournament on Twitch. Back in late March and early April, Unoovertook Fortnite in viewership numbers on Twitch, all thanks to Fortnite. Fortnite players were upset with the game and top streamers got invested in Uno, partaking in money matches with thousands of dollars at stake.
It just so happens that now the matches are official.