Alongside Premier League footballers and Hollywood actors, the public is now latching on to a selection of esports players.
These modern-day celebrities are leading the esports charge, with people around the world regularly tuning in to watch professional gamers battle it out in a number of gaming titles.
Although the esports scene is in its infancy, that hasn’t stopped some of the top players in the world from earning some mega money. The most lucrative titles include the likes of DOTA 2, League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and Fortnite, with legends being born off the back of these perfect competitive gaming products.
After all, not all games work in an esports arena.
For instance, despite being good games in their own right, the likes of the Gem Heat slot game and titles such as Genshin Impact simply don’t fit into the competitive gaming category, largely because they’re single-player games but also because they don’t serve up the same type of chaos and action that an esports audience craves. The aforementioned titles, such as Fortnite, fit the bill in that respect, resulting in a number of talented esports professionals earning some serious sums of money during a hugely successful career.
With the esports scene showing continual growth, let’s take a look at some of the highest-earning players from some of the biggest games.
These stars have contributed to the esports scene immensely and, as a result, have cemented themselves as legends in the process.
Ian Porter (C6)
A talented Call of Duty: Modern Warfare player, Ian Porter has earned a total of $1.333million, with his biggest win coming at the 2020 Call of Duty League Championship when he picked up a cheque for $300,000.
Porter is officially the highest-earning Call of Duty player of all time after competing in 165 competitions and reigning supreme more than any other player.
Peter Rasmussen (dupreeh)
One of the best ever CS:GO players, Peter Rasmussen has competed in over 163 esports tournaments at the time of writing and has earned just under $2million.
The Danish Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player has registered a number of successes during a career that started in 2012, with the now 28-year-old cementing himself among the top players in the CS:GO scene. His biggest prize came in 2018 after winning the Intel Grand Slam Season 1, claiming $200,000 as a result.
Johan Sundstein (N0tail)
With estimated earnings of $7.4million, Johan’ N0tail’ Sundstein is the highest-earning esports player ever. The Danish star is one of DOTA 2’s golden boys and is a formidable opponent on the scene. In fact, as far as high earners go, DOTA 2 is filled with big winners and is widely regarded as being the most lucrative esports title of the lot.
In the case of Johan Sundstein, he has certainly made some big bucks thanks to some memorable wins.
Kyle Giersdorf (Bugha)
Fortnite is yet another highly lucrative game, and Kyle Giersdorf has certainly made the most of it. Also known as Bugha, Giersdorf originally shot to stardom after winning the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 at the tender age of 16. With his $3million winnings motivating him to win even more competitions in the future, Kyle Giersdorf has gone on to record even more successes and grow an already established fanbase.
The young American has just under 5 million followers on Twitch and is regularly uploading content for his 4.25million YouTube subscribers.
Other high earners include Lee Sang Hyeok (Faker) – $1.309million, Alec Sanderson (Arcitys) – $1.114million, Feg – $1.003million, Seth Abner (Scump) – $1.06million, Cho Sung Choo (Maru) – $958,422, and Bak Jeong Yeong (Loki) – $914,093.
Featured Image: EsportzGlobal
