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Profitable Gamers and Esports Teams

Only a decade ago, esports players and teams were competing for meager amounts of money and peripherals. That has all changed in recent years, with star gamers and leading teams competing at the highest level raking in millions of dollars every year.

In 2021 alone, over $144 million were awarded to various players in more than 2,900 esports competitions around the world. That’s a huge increase compared to the $14 million recorded by an esports earnings tracking website in 2012. This growth is largely due to the rise of Twitch, which has helped increase esports viewership and consequently the revenue pool.

Although it is never too late to start playing professionally, some players on this list are considered minors and can’t enjoy the full range of games. So if you are an adult and you think you missed your shot at esports, you can always try online casino games with a no deposit casino bonus to have your online gaming action.

But here are top esports teams and players who make a profit out of gaming. Some play as a profession and might be future key figures in the esports industry.

Highly Profitable Esports Teams

#1 Team Liquid (Europe)

Team Liquid is a Netherlands-based multi-regional pro esports organization launched in 2000. This team mainly participates in Dota 2 tournaments, with their players winning over $37 million in prize money throughout its existence. The team has around 305 employees today, with the estimated revenue per employee ranging at $205,000.

#2 Evil Geniuses (United States)

Evil Geniuses is among the most recognizable teams in professional gaming. The Seattle-based esports team came to life in 1999 and it has grown to field players in various games. That includes Call of Duty, Dota 2, CS: GO, Halo, League of Legends, Fortnite Battle Royale Starcraft II, World of Warcraft, and others. As a result, Evil Geniuses records estimated annual revenue of about $17.6M.

#3 Team Spirit (Russia)

Team Spirit is a Russia-based esports organization founded in 2015, fielding players in CS: Go, Dota 2, PUBG, and Hearthstone. However, the team decided to disband CS: GO from their roster last year, after the end of the DreamHack Open in November 2021. Nonetheless, Team Spirit has managed to walk away with over 19.8 million from 160 tournaments.

#4 Virtus. pro (Russia)

Another profitable gaming organization from Russia, Virtus.pro (VP) was launched in November 2003 in Moscow. The team currently fields players in several games, including Dota 2, Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Starcraft II, Fortnite, Heroes of The Storm, Hearthstone, Rainbow Six Siege, and Apex Legends. These games have given the team over $18 million in prize money from 566 tournaments.

#5 Fnatic (United Kingdom)

Fnatic is among the world’s largest esports organizations, with professional players in Dota 2, League of Legends, CS: GO, Call of Duty, FIFA, and Heroes of the Storms. The UK-based professional esports team was launched in 2004 and today it has an estimated worth of $120 million. The team also has an estimated annual of $11.5 million and it’s still expanding to other regions like Asia.

Profitable Esports Players

  • Johan Sundstein (N0tail)

Popularly known as N0tail, Johan Sundstein is a Danish Dota 2 esports player for OG. As a player of OG, N0tail has represented the team in The International four times, winning the competition twice (2018 & 2019). N0tail has also won four other major championships, winning over $7.4 million in prize money over the years.

  • Jesse Vainikka (JerAx)

A two-time champion of The International, Jesse Vainikka is a Finnish esports player popularly known as JerAx. The former OG player came out of retirement late last year to lead the Dota 2 roster at Evil Geniuses and he’s widely known by most professionals as one of the best position 4 support players. The 29-year old gamer has collected over $6.4 million from 65 tournaments.

  • Kyle Giersdorf (Bugha)

Kyle Giersdorf is an American Fortnite gamer better known by his online alias, Bugha. The 18-year-old esports gamer started playing professionally in 2018 and came to fame after winning the Fortnite World Cup competition in 2019. Bugha currently plays as a Fragger for team Sentinels and he has won three major championships in 2019 and two in 2021. As a result, the star player has an estimated net worth of $4 million.

  • Peter Rasmussen (Dupreeh)

A Danish CS: GO player, Peter Rothmann Rasmussen (Dupreeh) is a master entry fragger to Team Vitality. Dupreeh has also played for Team SoloMid, Team Dignitas, and Astralis. The 28-year-old player was among the first players (alongside his three teammates) to triumph in four major CS: GO championships and recorded three major consecutive wins. Today, Dupreeh is among the most profitable esports players, having earned around $1.93 million.

  • Lee Sang Hyeok (Faker)

Lee Sang-hyeok is a South Korean League of Legends player better known as Faker, playing for the T1 team. Faker was formerly known as GoJeonPa and he has played for the SK Telecom T1 team since 2013. The 25-year-old player is widely considered as the best all-time player in League of Legends, where he has won several titles including the LoL World Championship (2016, 2015 & 2013). Today, Faker has a net worth of about $4 million.

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