Lucas Blakeley
Esports has become an incredibly lucrative industry, with prize pools reaching into the millions of dollars and sponsorship deals and advertising revenue providing additional sources of income for players and teams.
Two years ago, the global esports market was valued at over $1 billion, with even more growth recorded in 2023. Many esports players have become millionaires through their skills, earning prize money, and sponsorships. Furthermore, the industry has created jobs in various fields such as game developers, event organizers, and broadcasters.
The rapid growth witnessed in the industry in a span of 5 years is amazing, and all signs already point towards even bigger things to come.
More and more players are motivated by documented mega winnings from some of the world’s greatest players who made huge winnings from esports, likewise we cannot ignore the aspect of welcome bonuses for UK casino players and other loyalty programs awarded to new and existing customers.
A casino welcome bonus is a promotional offer provided by online casinos to attract new players to their website. The goal of the bonus is to get more new players, while providing an immediate benefit to the player such as increased chances of winning or more money to stake with.
Without any further ado, let us look at some of the biggest prize money winners in esports history:
Johan “N0tail” Sundstein – $7,804,905: Johan Sundstein, also known as N0tail, is a Danish professional Dota 2 player. He is currently the highest-earning esports player in the world, having won over $7.8 million in prize money over the course of his career.
Sundstein is the captain and support player for the team OG, which has won four Dota 2 majors and two International championships.
Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf – $3,162,966: Kyle Giersdorf, also known as Bugha, is an American Fortnite player. He gained international recognition after winning the Fortnite World Cup in 2019, taking home a prize of $3 million. The victory made him one of the wealthiest esports players in history at just 16 years old.
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok – $1,376,638: Lee Sang-hyeok, also known as Faker, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player. He is considered by many to be the greatest League of Legends player of all time, having won three world championships and numerous other titles. He has earned over $1.3 million in prize money over the course of his career.
Peter “ppd” Dager – $2,627,449: Peter Dager, also known as ppd, is an American Dota 2 player and team manager. He is the former captain of Evil Geniuses, one of the most successful Dota 2 teams in history. During his career, he has won The International and several other major Dota 2 tournaments, earning over $2.6 million in prize money.
Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi – $6,188,506: Kuro Salehi Takhasomi, also known as KuroKy, is a German Dota 2 player of Iranian descent. He is the captain of Team Nigma and has been playing Dota 2 professionally since 2013. He has won The International and several other major Dota 2 tournaments, earning over $6.1 million in prize money throughout his career.
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev – $1,464,377: Oleksandr Kostyliev, also known as s1mple, is a Ukrainian professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) player. He is considered to be one of the greatest CS:GO players of all time, having won several MVP awards and other accolades. He has earned over $1.4 million in prize money over the course of his career.
Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov – $5,560,643: Ivan Ivanov, also known as MinD_ContRoL, is a Bulgarian Dota 2 player. He is the offlaner for Team Nigma and has won multiple Dota 2 majors and The International championship. Throughout his career, he has earned over $5.5 million in prize money.
These are just a few of the biggest prize money winners in esports history, but there are many other players who have earned significant amounts of money through their skill and dedication to the game.