Finally, the stigma around Video Games being an “unrewarding” career has been slowly eliminated. More people now believe that if you are good at your game, you will be expecting a great payday. If you’re still skeptical, read this list. Here are top 5 esports titles with the highest combined prize pools in history.
Starcraft II ($33.3 from 5876 Tournaments)
First off our list is a classic title. Starcraft II is a direct sequel to the hit 1998 title for Windows, Starcraft. Korean professional gamers dominate this game. Only a handful of non-Koreans (dubbed as “foreigners”) could stand toe to toe with them.
Blizzard has distributed more than $30 million in prize pool across more than 5800 tournaments. The Starcraft II World Championship is Blizzard’s own competitive tournament. It is separated into three regions around the world. WCS points are awarded to each region and partner events. The top 16 teams with the most points qualify for Blizzcon, where they would compete for a $250,000 prize pool.
League of Legends ($76.7 million from 2449 Tournaments)
If you are a MOBA freak, you know that you have to choose between League of Legends or Dota 2. Some don’t even choose; they just play both. Instead of crowdfunding the prize pool for the players, LoL takes a different step. Riot employs a salary system for the players of the “League of Legends Championship Series. This leads to a substantially lower pay compared to other games on the list.
Fortnite ($90 million from 564 Tournaments)
Fortnite is relatively the youngest esports title on our list. It has given away more than $90 million across 564 tournaments.
In 2017, a standalone title was released called “Fortnite: Battle Royale”. It is the complete opposite of the first game. Players’ mission here is to be the last man standing on the map. During its first year of competitive play, Epic Games committed $100 million in the prize pool.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ($99.4 million from 5119 Tournaments)
CS: GO was released in 2012. It serves as the fourth installment in the main series of Counter-Strike games. Since its first tournament, CS: GO has awarded a little less than $100 million in prize money across more than 5000 tournaments.
CS: Go initially had a smaller prize pool compared to Valve’s other competitions. People think that CS: GO lies in the shadow of the more successful, Dota 2. CS: GO MLG Championship broke the $1 million prize pool for the first time in 2016.
Dota 2 ($225.7 million from 1404 Tournaments)
Dota 2 takes our first spot in this list. Since its inception in 2013, Dota 2 has distributed over $200 million in prize money across thousands of tournaments. The prize pool for Dota 2 reaches over $1 million regularly. It is achievable through crowdfunding from the game’s extremely healthy community.
In 2015, Dota 2 recorded a whopping $18 million for their The International 2015 (TI15). Ever since, the prize money for the major tournament has grown year-after-year.
If you are not yet converted by the time you read this, we don’t know what to do already. Perhaps, you could read here about FaZe clan, one of the biggest esports teams in recent memory.
Opinions expressed by AsianBlurb contributors are their own.
Faiz Imran is a teenage (May 17, 2002) entrepreneur and self-made millionaire behind various successful companies such as Fismma.com
