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eSports
Esports earnings: Top 25 Highest Paid Players in 2020 So Far
> Five teenagers, including a 15-year-old, among the best
> Two chess players make the list
> No League of Legends players in top 25
2020 has hit a lot of industries very hard – but not esports.
The lockdown has brought huge growth in viewers to professional gaming as millions flock to watch the world’s best players in action.
This new level of interest will only help the industry grow, along with the pay packets of the gamers themselves.
But, how much do they earn?
New research by esports bookmakers Unikrn shows just how much the top 25 players have been winning in tournament prize money so far this year.
In 2019, there was a total prize pool of $227m shared between over 25,000 players playing in 5,000 tournaments.
Six months into 2020 and there’s still been $32.5m in prize money – despite the cancellation and postponement of many events.
Of that pot, the highest earning player has taken home $300,000 so far.
Brazilian Paulo Damo Da Rosa, known as PVDDR, won Magic: The Gathering Arena’s, Magic World Championship XXVI in February – pocketing the huge fee in one lump sum.
The five members of Spacestation Gaming’s Rainbow Six Siege team – Bosco, Rampy, Thinkingnade, Fultz and Canadian – also feature in the top 10.
Their victories in this year’s Six Invitational 2020 and Pro League Season 11 have earned them $210,000 each.
With a combined age of 47, teenagers Wolfiez, Furious and JannisZ are in the top 16 for their big Fortnite wins.
The UK’s Wolfiez, 16, has taken home $130,000 so far this year from two tournaments coming second in both FNCS Invitationals: Europe last month.
JannisZ, 15, from Germany, won one of those tournaments, while American 16-year-old Furious secured victory in the FNCS Grand Finals in North America – both earning $120,000+.
Among the top 25, Chess24 stars Hikaru Nakamura and grandmaster Magnus Carlsen have also taken home over $100,000 each in prize money.
STATISTICS
The average age of the top 25 earning players so far in 2020 is 24 years old.
So far this year, the top country for earning prize money is the United States with players making over $6million between 1,870 of them.
However, the best average prize winner per country belongs to Jordan.
Six players earned an average of $33,000 each – made up mostly by Doha 2 players Yapzor and Miracle-, who claimed $175,000 of the total $200,000.
Bear in mind all of these earnings do not include their sponsorships, bonuses or salaries – some of which are rumoured to be around the $500,000 mark.
So there will be players easily taking home close to $1,000,000 a year.
The highest earning esports player of all-time is Danish Dota 2 player Johan Sundstein.
Going by player ID N0tail, the 26-year-old has amassed $6.9m in prize money from 117 tournaments and been a winner at the International 2018 and 2019.
Ryan Jurado, esports analyst with the industry juggernaut Unikrn, said: “As impressive as the prize earnings are in esports, they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
“In reality, thousands of players around the world make additional income by building their brand and fan bases with non-competition activities such as gaming streams, earn income with sponsorship deals and receive a salary to play as part of an organized team.
“Amazon’s Twitch alone has 22,000 partnered streamers, most of whom are playing games and earning cash outside of tournaments. When you add in Microsoft’s Mixr, Google’s YouTube, Facebook, plus non-American platforms like Huya, plus thousands of yearly video game tournaments, the number of players making some form of income by gaming is likely well over 100,000 worldwide. For most, this is a paying hobby rather than a career, but some players do reach multi-millionaire status before they even graduate high school.”
Real name | Player name | Game | Nationality | Age | Prize Money 2020 | Tournaments | Prize Money (Overall) |
Paulo Damo da Rosa | PVDDR | Magic: The Gathering Arena | Brazil | 32 | $300,000.00 | 1 | $337,800.00 |
Troy Jaroslawski | Canadian | Rainbow Six Siege | Canada | 23 | $210,000.00 | 2 | $317,628.57 |
Dylan Bosco | Bosco | Rainbow Six Siege | United States | 25 | $210,000.00 | 2 | $275,750.00 |
Nathanial Duvall | Rampy | Rainbow Six Siege | United States | $210,000.00 | 2 | $261,060.00 | |
Javier Escamila | Thinkingnade | Rainbow Six Siege | El Salvador | 21 | $210,000.00 | 2 | $261,030.00 |
Alec Fultz | Fultz | Rainbow Six Siege | American | $210,000.00 | 2 | $238,966.67 | |
Lee, Byung Ryul | Rogue | Starcraft II | Korea | 26 | $155,128.20 | 9 | $832,543.20 |
Marcio Carvalho | Marcio Carvalho | Magic The Gathering Arena | Portugal | 34 | $150,000.00 | 1 | $214,900.00 |
Jaden Ashman | Wolfiez | Fortnite | UK | 16 | $130,000.00 | 2 | $1,300,026.67 |
Lasse Urpalainen | Matumbaman | Dota 2 | Finland | 25 | $122,413.40 | 7 | $3,684,194.44 |
Clement Ivanov | Puppey | Dota 2 | Estonia | 30 | $122,413.40 | 7 | $2,783,899.63 |
Ludwig Wåhlberg | Zai | Dota 2 | Sweden | 22 | $122,413.40 | 7 | $2,443,054.42 |
Yazied Jaradat | YapzOr | Dota 2 | Jordan | 25 | $122,413.40 | 7 | $1,452,524.07 |
Michał Jankowski | Nisha | Dota 2 | Poland | 19 | $122,413.40 | 7 | $852,679.11 |
Furious | Fortnite | United States | 16 | $121,500.00 | 3 | $122,400.00 | |
JannisZ | Fortnite | Germany | 15 | $120,000.00 | 1 | $131,362.42 | |
Asger Larsen | AcilioN | CS:GO | Denmark | 23 | $117,688.05 | 6 | $205,471.35 |
Lucas Andersen | Bubzki | CS:GO | Denmark | 21 | $113,800.00 | 5 | $186,770.86 |
Frederik Gyldstrand | acoR | CS:GO | Denmark | 22 | $113,800.00 | 5 | $183,034.72 |
Rasmus Beck | sjuush | CS:GO | Denmark | 21 | $113,800.00 | 5 | $178,613.09 |
Fredrik Jørgensen | roejJ | CS:GO | Denmark | $113,800.00 | 5 | $167,242.03 | |
Hikaru Nakamura | Hikaru | Chess24 | Japan | 32 | $102,632.19 | 10 | $148,117.61 |
Sven Magnus Carlsen | DrNykterstein | Chess24 | Norway | 29 | $101,170.48 | 7 | $130,928.92 |
Seth Manfield | Seth Manfield | Magic: The Gathering Arena | United States | 29 | $100,000.00 | 1 | $141,900.00 |
David Wang | Aqua | Fortnite | Austria | 18 | $98,750.00 | 4 | $1,868,341.23 |
Country | Prize Money | Players | Average per |
United States | $6,340,646.89 | 1870 | $3,390.72 |
China | $2,918,944.04 | 340 | $8,585.13 |
Brazil | $2,161,506.14 | 401 | $5,390.29 |
Korea, Republic of | $2,067,293.52 | 455 | $4,543.50 |
France | $1,516,403.65 | 419 | $3,619.10 |
Russian Federation | $1,495,117.67 | 440 | $3,397.99 |
Denmark | $1,472,041.31 | 173 | $8,508.91 |
Germany | $1,262,670.52 | 483 | $2,614.22 |
United Kingdom | $1,255,641.62 | 333 | $3,770.70 |
Canada | $1,170,591.49 | 308 | $3,800.62 |
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Highest Earning Players of All Time (By Prize Money)
Real name | Player name | Game | Nationality | Age | Prize Money Overall | Tournaments |
Johan Sundstein | N0tail | Dota 2 | Denmark | 26 | $6,895,040.18 | 117 |
Jesse Vainikka | JerAx | Dota 2 | Finland | 28 | $6,470,000.02 | 65 |
Anathan Pham | ana | Dota 2 | Australia | 20 | $6,000,411.96 | 24 |
Sébastien Debs | Ceb | Dota 2 | France | 28 | $5,501,233.01 | 54 |
Topias Taavitsainen | Topson | Dota 2 | Finland | 22 | $5,415,046.17 | 21 |
Kuro Takhasomi | KuroKy | Dota 2 | Germany | 27 | $5,177,764.81 | 110 |
Amer Al-Barkawi | Miracle- | Dota 2 | Jordan | 22 | $4,743,118.88 | 57 |
Ivan Ivanov | MinD_ContRoL | Dota 2 | Bulgaria | 25 | $4,534,193.36 | 67 |
Maroun Merhej | GH | Dota 2 | Lebanon | 24 | $4,137,126.44 | 44 |
Lasse Urpalainen | Matumbaman | Dota 2 | Finland | 25 | $3,674,181.04 | 69 |
**Stats taken from www.esportsearnings.com and do not include salaries, bonuses or sponsorships
eSports
Esports World Cup and Aramco Announce Strategic Partnership
![esports-world-cup-and-aramco-announce-strategic-partnership](https://igamingradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/132678-esports-world-cup-and-aramco-announce-strategic-partnership.png)
Global energy brand extends relationship with one of the world’s largest gaming festivals
The Esports World Cup Foundation (“EWCF”) and Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, announced a strategic partnership that will see Aramco extend its sponsorship of the Esports World Cup, set to take place this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
As the official title partner of the Aramco SIM Arena, Aramco will present a high-end simulator zone where racing enthusiasts can compete in community tournaments at the Esports World Cup Festival. The Aramco SIM Arena, offering hyper-realistic simulators that provide an experience akin to driving an F1 car, will be a premier destination for sim-racing fans. This partnership builds on Aramco’s previous successful sponsorships of Gamers Without Borders and Gamers8: The Land of Heroes festival.
Aramco’s involvement with the Esports World Cup is part of a broader ambition to promote economic development and diversification, provide new opportunities for young people in the country, deliver critical STEM skills, and help build a diverse and dynamic Saudi economy.
The partnership between Aramco and the Esports World Cup is set to create a lasting, positive impact on the world of esports. As the festival approaches, both parties look forward to showcasing Saudi talent on the global stage and inspiring today’s youth through the power of gaming and esports.
Starting July 3, 2024, the EWCF will transform Riyadh into the epicenter of esports fandom and gaming culture, with an eight-week festival. The event will feature gaming activations, community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, international experiences and more. Fans can watch their favorite athletes and clubs compete in 21-game championships for a share of more than $60 million in prize money, the largest in esports history.
The post Esports World Cup and Aramco Announce Strategic Partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
Abios Welcomes Rasmus Schmidt Christensen as New Head of Odds Operations
![abios-welcomes-rasmus-schmidt-christensen-as-new-head-of-odds-operations](https://igamingradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/132654-abios-welcomes-rasmus-schmidt-christensen-as-new-head-of-odds-operations.jpg)
Abios, a global leader in esports data and odds provision, has appointed Rasmus Schmidt Christensen, formerly of Danish operator Danske Spil, as the company’s new Head of Odds Operations.
With a background in betting analytics, Schmidt Christensen is a seasoned industry veteran with a wealth of experience in esports and sports betting, spending nearly eight years improving the esports vertical at Danske Spil. Beginning his industry journey as a sports trader at the Danish betting operator, Schmidt Christensen gradually assumed more responsibility over the esports segment, ultimately taking charge of the vertical as an Esports Product Specialist.
The role allowed him to work closely with product, marketing and customer-focused teams, creating a comprehensive esports strategy for the operator. He used customer feedback to ensure the product met customer demands and ensured Danske Spil offered innovative product features early on, including player propositions.
As Head of Odds Operations, a newly created role at Abios, Schmidt Christensen will strengthen the Abios team by providing expertise in esports from Denmark, which has long been the home of Counter-Strike. Combining his knowledge of what esports fans want and product development, he will act as a bridge between trading and Abios’ automated odds setting, creating the ultimate end product for end users.
Anton Janér, Managing Director of Abios, said: “Esports is a fast-growing segment within online sports betting. For sportsbooks to stay competitive in the area, working with people who truly understand esports is paramount.
“At Abios, we’ve historically been in the fortunate position to attract people with strong esports expertise. Rasmus is no different, having spent significant time at Danske Spil improving their esports vertical. We’re thrilled to have him on board and look forward to seeing him taking our offering to the next level.”
Rasmus Schmidt Christensen, Head of Odds Operations, said: “Having worked in esports for years, I’m thrilled to join the Abios team. As they’re building new and exciting products on top of best-in-class data and modelling, Abios is at a very exciting growth stage. I’m happy to be part of the next step in that journey.”
The post Abios Welcomes Rasmus Schmidt Christensen as New Head of Odds Operations appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
Pepsi To Energize Esports World Cup In New Partnership
![pepsi-to-energize-esports-world-cup-in-new-partnership](https://igamingradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/132634-pepsi-to-energize-esports-world-cup-in-new-partnership.png)
The Esports World Cup Foundation (“EWCF”) is pleased to announce it has joined forces with Pepsi for a strategic partnership which will see both parties collaborate to level up experiences for fans at the inaugural Esports World Cup (“EWC”) this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As a strategic founding partner committing to a multi-year deal, Pepsi will further build on its commitment to helping unite the realms of sports, entertainment, and esports.
Centered around co-creating unmissable moments, Pepsi and the EWCF will work together to provide fans with exciting activations to elevate the esports landscape in Saudi Arabia and cement the Esports World Cup as a truly memorable event. Fans can expect interactive and immersive experiences such as the Rockstar Bar, where they can get energized with a selection of drinks and spend time in between matches in the karaoke box. In addition, Pepsi is the naming partner of the Falcons venue, called “Falcons HQ by Pepsi”.
“We are proud to partner with such an iconic brand in Pepsi to energize fans for a memorable summer at the Esports World Cup,” said Pepsi Representative “Fans are truly what bring esports events to life, and it’s great to work alongside Pepsi who shares in our vision and commitment to elevating their experiences. ”
Beginning July 3, the Esports World Cup will transform Riyadh into the epicenter of esports fandom and gaming culture. Located in Boulevard City, fans can watch their favorite athletes and clubs compete across 22 game championships for a share of more than $60 million in life-changing prize money — the largest prize pool in esports history. Across eight weeks, the Esports World Cup will also feature festival activities that include numerous gaming activations, community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, international experiences, and more.
The post Pepsi To Energize Esports World Cup In New Partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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