The 4 Biggest Esports Earners In History

Back in the day, one of the stereotypes in playing video games is that it cannot bring any good in your life. Those who are into video games are stereotyped as people who have nothing better to do and dreaming of making it a career never crossed the minds of anyone. However, as the years went on, video game stereotypes slowly died out and gamers wanted more than just casual gaming--they started wanting competitive video gaming. Thus, esports was born.

Now, people earn lots of money out of playing video games. It could be as simple as streaming on Twitch while you play, making game-related content on YouTube, or being a professional esports player yourself. Those who are into sports betting also go and bet on esports, and this format of betting is becoming more popular, too.

As for the professional esports players, here are the top five earners in the entire industry so far. Are you dreaming of making it as big as them?

#4 - Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok - $1.3 million (League of Legends)

“Faker” is considered to be the most-celebrated professional player of all time--not just of LoL--and is a regular name in the top position of T1’s world titles. At the age of 23, he won his debut season in the League Of Legends competitive scene and made a name for himself.

#3 - Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen - $1.9 million (CounterStrike: Global Offensive)

Danish CS:GO player Peter Rasmussen is part of what is concerned the greatest CS:GO team of all time, Astralis. Peter and his team had already won four Valve Major Championships, among others, and he is often credited to have a huge role in the rise, bounce back, and journey to the top of his team.

Currently, he plays an entry fragger and rifle for his team.

#2 - Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf - $3.2 million (Fortnite)

Who knows that playing video games can earn you millions and even get you on TV on a show like "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”? This was certainly not the kind of thing Kyle wanted out of playing his favorite game, Fortnite. However, he got more than just the fun of playing the game when he became the first-ever winner in the game’s competitive tournament.

Fortnite was first released in 2018 and although it was not the first game to come in the then already saturated battle royal shooter genre, it still managed to explode in player count and popularity. Only a year after its release, Epic Games held the first Fortnite World Cup, where 100 plates battled it out. In that game, Kyle was the last one standing and took home $3 million.

#1 - Johan “N0tail” Sundstein - $6.9 million (DoTA 2)

Before he rose to fame being the highest-paid DoTA 2 player--and currently all that of esports--Johan was a casual DoTA 2 and Heroes of Newearth player. He started to enter the esports scene when he played HoN competitively with friends Jascha “NoVa” Markus and Tal “Fly” Aizik. Back then, Johan, who is only 15 years of age, became the youngest competitive p[layer of the game in the world. Playing HoN, he was known to be best playing the solo mid role.

Due to the decline of HoN in the esports scene, Johan moved to DoTA 2, where he played mostly support, becoming known for his play with Chen and Wisp, in particular. In 2019, Johan and his Team OG--with his teammates Ceb, ana, Topson, and JerAx--became the first-ever two-time winner of The International, DoTA 2’s annual esports league. He is currently the team captain for OG.