(Image via https://twitter.com/CyberSportEN)
The money in competitive esports gaming has hit new heights as what is a relatively new industry continues to captivate a worldwide audience. Deals, such as sponsorship packages, have risen as demand for the competition keeps on growing. Subsequently, earnings have increased, and stars are being born.
Whether it’s League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch, FIFA 20 or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the abundance of competitive gamers is clear to see, and competition is intense. It’s only going to get bigger and better you’d think too, especially with the emergence of Twitch. Youngsters don’t just idolise Cristiano Ronaldo or Roger Federer these days, with the likes of Faker, Jesse Vainikka and KuroKy now on their radar also.
So, with the rise of the professional esports gamer, we thought we’d take a look at some of the highest-earning esports players around and celebrate their success along the way.
Johan “N0tail” Sundstein
The Dane is one of the most legendary players on the Dota 2 scene and became the top earner of 2019 after a hugely successful year, more specifically in an impressive victory at The International for the second year in a row. NOtail tends to perform well at the big events, with the likes of TI8 and TI9 immediately springing to mind. Put simply, he’s an esports legend, and with earnings of $6.8 million, it’s easy to see why.
Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth
Another hugely successful Dane with $1.7 million to his name, Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth reigned supreme for the fourth time at the Valve Major and was subsequently labelled as the greatest CS:GO player of all time. If it wasn’t for Xyp9x, there’s absolutely no way Astralis would be where they are today. He’s helped shape their success and enabled them to clean up their act.
Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf
Gaming has grown, which is evident with the likes of casino creations becoming a lot more sophisticated thanks to introductions such as the ability to deposit with Entropay at MansionCasino, which is basically a virtual Visa card. Fortnite has been one of the games that have captivated the gaming market and enabled it to reach such heights and improve its overall offering. Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf is Fortnite’s star man and shot to fame after winning the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 with relative ease, earning himself an astonishing $3 million in the process. Sentinels Bugha have a lot to thank him for.
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
(Image via https://twitter.com/FionnOnFire)
Referred to earlier in the article, Faker is probably the most celebrated professional gamer of all-time. The League of Legends star has racked up an impressive $1.3 million after three successes at T1. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok won the world championship in his debut season and is widely considered to be the greatest ever League of Legends player.
Feg
After announcing his arrival on the Shadowverse scene in 2018 following a dominant victory at the World Grand Prix, Feg has gone on to register earnings of $1 million. After entering the competitive esports gaming scene as a relatively unknown quantity, the Japanese star has now cemented himself as one of the best Shadowverse players we’ve been graced with.
Damon “Karma” Barlow
Everyone enjoys playing a bit of Call of Duty, right? Well, we’d all probably hate the game if Damon “Karma” Barlow was coming for us. The only player in history to win three separate world championships, Karma has earned himself more than $800,000 in winnings during his professional esports career. Other notable successes include being the only two-time consecutive CoD world champion, during what has been a phenomenal seven-year career for the Canadian-American.
