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
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eSports
Magnus Carlsen Claims Inaugural Chess at 2025 Esports World Cup Title as Two Grand Masters Clashed on the World Stage
Magnus Carlsen has claimed the inaugural Chess at 2025 Esports World Cup title, beating out Alireza Firouzja in a thrilling final series.
Representing Team Liquid, Magnus Carlsen was able to secure a straight 2-0 series victory against Team Falcons’ French star Alireza Firouzja. The Norwegian grandmaster entered Chess at EWC 25 as the favourite, and it was clear to see why. As for his Team Falcons opponent, Firouzja, while he had moments of brilliance, the gulf in class between the two in this series showed.
The world number-one swept the Team Falcons representative in sensational style with a straight sets victory that reaffirmed his status as one of the all-time greats. Carlsen took the first set 3-1, before dominating the second set 3-1 once again to secure a 2-0 series victory.
Magnus Carlsen’s win sees Team Liquid claim their first victory at the 2025 Esports World Cup. The victory continues a great year thus far for Magnus Carlsen, who won Chess.com’s 2025 Champions Chess Tour to qualify for the EWC, as well as his seventh Norway Chess title and the 2025 Grenke Chess Freestyle Open with a perfect 9/9 score.
“I am very happy, a little bit relieved as well. There was a point in the second set where I felt I let him back in the match for no reason. Overall, I’m happy with the way I played and the way I pressured him on the clock. A couple of times I rushed a little bit, but that comes with everything,” said Carlsen.
“I think it’s been incredible. Not only playing, but watching the others. It’s been an amazing show, unlike anything I’ve seen so far. It’s just been a joy. I hope this is a big part of the future of chess. I’m really thankful to EWC for believing in Chess, for Team Liquid for believing in me as well, and for making Team Falcons have to fight at least a little bit for the Club Championship,” he said.
The post Magnus Carlsen Claims Inaugural Chess at 2025 Esports World Cup Title as Two Grand Masters Clashed on the World Stage appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The prestigious 2025 PUBG MOBILE World Cup (PMWC) is shifting into high-gear as the pivotal Survival Stage has concluded after two days of high-stakes plays and fierce competition which saw Horaa Esports take pole position. In total, eight elite teams have emerged victorious, earning a spot to compete in the 2025 PMWC Grand Finals, where they’ll be reunited with the eight teams that came out on top during the Group Stage last weekend. Only one team will take home the lion’s share of the $3 million prize pool, and the crown position as the 2025 PMWC Champion, as part of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
Over the course of three action-packed days, the Survival Stage delivered intense battles in 12 adrenaline-fueled matches, as 16 teams fought for the final eight coveted slots in the Grand Finals. Early momentum was set by Fire Flux Esports on day one, consistently securing top finishes, while POWR Esports made a strong impact on day two with aggressive plays and smart rotations. Throughout the stage, teams such as Regnum Carya and eArena demonstrated their resilience and adaptability, skillfully navigating high-pressure situations to place in the Top 3 for four of their matches. The MEA region also proved itself a powerhouse, with both Team Falcons and POWR Esports advancing to the Grand Finals. Surprisingly, last year’s reigning champions, Alpha7 Esports, were eliminated in this Survival Stage, ending their run in the tournament after a series of hard-fought matches, guaranteeing a new team will take the throne.
Showcasing their strategic brilliance, Horaa Esports earned an impressive 108 points, marking them as the top dogs of the Survival Stage. Along with seven other finalists from this stage, they have secured their spot in the Grand Finals.
The 16 top-performing teams to compete in the Grand Finals from tomorrow include:
- Horaa Esports
- Fire Flux Esports
- POWR Esports
- Regnum Carya
- eArena
- NS RedForce
- Team Falcons
- Yangon Galacticos
- Alter Ego Ares
- 4Thrives Esports
- DRX
- Weibo Gaming
- Alpha Gaming
- Team Secret
- TT Global
- IDA Esports
This Grand Finals will also feature a brand new theme song Smash!, a hype beat that will play once the SMASH ruleset is active and a team is just one Winner Winner Chicken Dinner away from overall victory. With the placements confirmed and schedule locked in, the 2025 PMWC Grand Finals weekend is set to be an exceptional display of top PUBG MOBILE Esports talent. As the second edition of the PUBG MOBILE World Cup (PMWC), and part of the Esports World Cup, these dedicated teams will be doubling down on their competitive edge, leaving everything on the battleground as they fight for the crown, and the lion’s share of the $3 million prize pool.
The post 2025 PUBG MOBILE WORLD CUP FINALISTS LOCKED IN AS 16 TEAMS MAKE THE CUT appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
JBO, a well-established online gaming and entertainment platform, has announced an exciting new promotion tailored for the highly anticipated Esports World Cup 2025. Esports enthusiasts in Thailand now have a compelling opportunity to win up to 30,000 Jcoin by placing wagers on the thrilling “World Cup Qualifiers” matches. This shows JBO Thailand’s commitment to giving great value and fun experiences to all its players.
This exclusive event is ongoing and will conclude on August 24, 2025, at 23:59 (GMT+8). This period strategically aligns with the intensified global esports calendar, leading up to the Esports World Cup and its critical qualifying rounds. JBO Thailand is actively creating an immersive environment that allows fans to engage more deeply with preferred teams and competitive events. Participation in the promotion is straightforward. Players are simply required to place bets on eligible “Esports World Cup Qualifiers” matches through JBO’s designated esports betting providers, IM Esports and TF Esports. The promotion is conveniently accessible via the “Reward Corner” section on the JBO platform, ensuring a seamless and intuitive user experience for all participants.
At the core of this attractive offer is JBO’s innovative Jcoin reward system. Players who log in to JBO and achieve a weekly turnover exceeding 3000 in the Esports category will automatically qualify for Jcoin rewards. The reward system gives bigger prizes as you play more, with up to 30,000 Jcoin available each week.
JBO also ensures a smooth and secure experience through the easy-to-use JBO app available for both Android and iOS devices. With fast withdrawals and smooth gameplay, the platform is ideal for esports fans to enjoy and earn real rewards. JBO is trusted across Asia and has Dimitar Berbatov as its brand ambassador, showing it as a top sportsbook and esports operator.
The post JBO Thailand Launches Esports World Cup Promotion appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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