Cybersport has long been a full-fledged competitive discipline. More than 50 major countries have recognized this type of competition activity. And due to the rapid growth, one can’t help but wonder what awaits cybersport in another 20 years of the world’s history. Roughly the same situation was previously observed in the world of online games, today it is an incredibly diverse niche, which is filled daily with new products and sites. For example, casino reviews4casinos.com, which today already offers more than a hundred different games, although 10 years ago such a thing seemed unbelievable.
Today a lot of people think about the prospects of the cybersports profession, and Instagram feeds are literally littered with new machines of professional players. That’s why you seriously start to think about the possibilities of professional gaming. In this article, the topic will touch on the earnings of professional cyber sportsmen, namely you will find out:
- How much do eSports players earn?
- What are the players’ earnings?
Earnings in eSports
A professional player’s income comes from several sources and also depends on many factors. We’ll look at all of these individually below.
Contracts
The legal document that is signed between the player and the organization, where it is stipulated: the conditions, the term, the termination clause, and most importantly, the financial rewards. So what are the sums paid to players in the various disciplines?
- Dota 2
Roman Dvoryankin, the former general manager of Virtus. Pro, in an interview with cybersport.ru, said that the players of Dota 2 on average receive $ 8,000 per month. It should be understood that the player’s income depends not only on himself or the club in which he plays but also on the discipline. Other sources indicate that in Dota 2 the salary ranges from $5,000 to $30,000 per month.
- CS: GO
NAVI team player, Alexander S1mple Kostylev, told HLTV.ORG how much players on the world stage earn in the CS: GO discipline:
Let me put it this way: in the top 15 teams in the world, players earn more than $10,000 per month. The biggest salaries are in North America, but almost half the amount always goes to taxes – Kostylev himself would not comment on his current earnings.
If we talk about salaries in other regions, for example, North American, their payments range from $ 12,000 to $50,000 a month. Thus, the new Cloud 9 CS: GO player, Alex ALEX McMeekin, signed a contract with the club for 3 years, at the end of which the player will receive about $ 1,649,988 – $45,833 per month or 3,502,901 rubles. But you should not forget about the high taxes.
- VALORANT
In this new sensational game, the salaries are not particularly different from other popular disciplines. According to Team Liquid CS: GO coach Jason O’Toole, players’ salaries in Valorant start at $20,000.
Some players who move to Valorant make $20,000 to $30,000 a month. The new brainchild of Riot has no clear structure for tournaments, a new event for teams can start completely unexpectedly.
Prize money
Another part of the players’ earnings comes from the prize money. 10-40% of the winnings can be taken by the organization, it depends entirely on the company itself. The rest is divided between the players. Prize money is also very different.
For example, in Dota 2 there is a tournament series The International, which in terms of prize money can’t be compared with any other event. Team OG players, twice champions of this tournament, are still in the top places of the richest cyber sportsmen. The last tournament held brought in about $34,000,000. And the upcoming Ti10 reached a record $40,018,195.
In CS: GO discipline the system of tournaments is built differently. The prize pools very rarely jump over $1,000,000. But there are many more tournaments in the game than in Dota 2.
The biggest tournaments in CS: GO are WESG and Major series events, and more recently Flashpoint. The prize fund of such tournaments is $1million and more.
Advertising
Some players, because of their media availability, sign advertising contracts with famous brands. So Dota 2 player Roman RAMZES666 Kushnarev starred in Head & Shoulders ads. The famous Polish CS: GO player Jaroslaw pashaBiceps Jazombkowski starred in a commercial for Media Markt. The previously mentioned s1mple starred in a commercial for Omen. In addition, many professionals starred in bookmaker banners.
It is only worth speculating what amounts are prescribed in the advertising contract. Such information is usually not disclosed.
Streaming and business
In addition to all the above-mentioned options of profitability, cyber-sportsmen have other – additional types of earnings. For example, starting their own business or streaming. Yes, this is where we entered the income from streaming because not all players are avid streamers. Some people prefer to give up this kind of activity, while others simply do not have the opportunity.
Earning on streamers is another big topic of conversation, but to be brief: a player can earn up to 300,000 thousand rubles per month through advertising contracts, donations, etc.
In addition, some players open their own businesses. So former team NaVi Dota 2 player, Bogdan IceBerg Vasilenko opened his own bar. Despite the fact that Vasilenko, in his words, it did not work out, it may well be considered as another way for the player to earn money.
To sum it up
As you and I have found out cyber-sportsmen have many opportunities to make money. And his income depends on many factors, from his media exposure to his personal skill set. Even when a professional player doesn’t have a team, he can go into analytics or become a commentator.
Of course, nowadays the salaries of top players is not comparable to what it was in the early days of eSports. Earlier $100 per month could be called a big sum, – now such money seems ridiculous. Cybersport has long been recognized as an official sport, so athletes rightly get their big payouts, sign advertising contracts and buy expensive cars.
