Featured image: Microsoft Copilot
A steady and handsome annual income is what professional athletes look forward to when they sign on to teams to play a sport. In the case of professional traditional and esports athletes, this is mainly the factor as to why they do what they do — beyond the love for the sport/game and the amount of training done to be better. The earnings gap for both parties may encounter some fluctuations, and also will go to show that one category seems to make more bank on their end than the other.
How Much Do Esports Players Make?
Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot
Now that it is established that esports professionals are real athletes too, we look now into the amounts that esports players make:
The amount of money esports players make is dependent on the skill level, the game being played, the competitions they compete in and the viewership. The eligibility is present for esports players to earn substantial prize payments. The money is earned through salaries, tournament winnings, royalty payments, and endorsements. With the International Dota 2 Championship being the most prestigious tournament in esports, a whopping $25,532,200 was offered as prize pool for the years 2017 and 2018. The players on the winning team (Team OG, 5 in total) earned them about $2,247,000 from the $11,234,000. The thing to consider with Dota 2 tournament prize pools is the inflation. This is as a result of fan crowdfunding through in-game purchases, thus boosting its popularity.
In the case of the Fortnite Fall Skirmish Series 2018 for Fortnite, there was an available prize pool going for $4,000,000 and the winning team was awarded $1,500,000. Teams like Team Liquid are ranked among the highest paid-teams where they earn about millions of dollars annually. Because this is still an evolving industry one could make bold predictions for high earning gaps with the way esports keep growing in popularity. It is however advisable that although it is possible to profit off of esports competitions, enthusiasts and gamers need to know that most players do not earn millions of dollars annually, and to earn a living off of esports they will require a high sense of competitiveness, dedication and popularity to secure successes in this business.
Statistics from Statista shows that Dota 2 leads the rankings with the highest prize pool payout, which is followed by a traditional sport, football, and then golf, all the way to cycling, making it clear that esports gets the bigger prize purse.
Conclusion
With these points established we can agree that esports deserves to be given the same attention that traditional sports get. The growths in the fanbases, sponsorships and metrics show that esports is likely to shake up the sports industry while going on to prove that this is a viable career for individuals to pursue and make a good living out of.
Esports has helped create jobs for lots of people. Interested in knowing about the business side of esports? Listen to the Gamers Change Lives Podcast! We get experienced guests from all around the world featuring.
Written by Jeffrey Osei-Agyeman
