Top Esports Earners Of 2020
The turbulent year that is 2020 has been one of the most hectic action we have seen so far, with the calendar being jam-packed with huge major tournament across esports. Whilst some were moved to online settings, others were able to thrive in a bubble environment. With all major events rounded off in this year, we take a dive into the numbers and analyse who the top earners are of 2020, based on prize money alone.
Disregarding sponsorships, the earning charts are dominated by some rather unique names alongside the winners of the Call of Duty League. One particular country was able to dominate the esports scene, earning over double the amount of the second-ranked region with $19,699,643 earnt from major tournaments. Surprisingly, the esport with the highest amount of prize money offered has not one single player within the top 50 highest individual earners and none of the professionals playing in the top three games of the year makes the top 10 either.
Without further ado, lets jump in...
Top Earning Esports Players of 2020
Many people may never have heard of the top earner, which is wildly confusing giving the nature of esports. Topping the charts is Sven "DrNykterstein" Magnus Carlsen, who is an American Grand Master Chess professional. At 30 years of age, Carlsen has stacked up just shy of half of a million dollars by outsmarting his opponents in the ultimate mind game. The World Champion is followed by all five members of the Call of Duty League championship-winning side, Dallas Empire, who's fierce rivals of Atlanta FaZe conclude the top 10. Another Grand Master Chess professional makes the top ten too, just behind the most surprising entry.
- Sven "DrNykterstein" Magnus Carlsen - $499,420.48 - Grand Master Chess
- James "Clayster" Eubanks - $373,325.00 - Call of Duty
- Ian "Crimsix" Porter - $368,200.00 - Call of Duty
- Indervir "iLLeY" Dhaliwal - $358,625.00 - Call of Duty
- Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro - $351,625.00 - Call of Duty
- Cuyler "Huke" Garland - $347,375.00 - Call of Duty
- Paulo "PVDDR" Damo da Rosa - $300,000.00 - Magic: The Gathering Arena
- Hikaru "Hikaru" Nakamura - $289,807.19 - Grand Master Chess
- McArthur "Cellium" Jovel - $256,550.00 - Call of Duty
- Christopher "Simp" Lehr - $250,708.33 - Call of Duty
Click to enlargeTop Earning Esports Teams of 2020
Following on from the top 10 highest-earning individuals, it's no surprise to see Dallas Empire top the charts. Despite two of their players making the top 10 too, Atlanta FaZe actually fall to fifth in terms of teams, slotting in behind some huge organisations. NRG doesn't make the cut, although combining their franchises would actually see them grab the top spot. San Francisco Shock comes in second place, and whilst Chicago Huntsmen are found in 14th, combining the two would overtake the Empire, owned by Team Envy. Team The Shock earnt second place through just two tournaments, which is admirable considering third-placed Team Liquid have a combined 186 events to their name this year.
- Dallas Empire - $1,797,504.472 - Call of Duty
- San Francisco Shock - $1,555,000.00 - Overwatch
- Team Liquid - $1,400,548.37 - League of Legends, Star Craft, Dota 2, and more...
- Spacestation Gaming - $1,275,748.14 - Rocket League, Rainbow six: Siege, Super Smash Bros., and more...
- Atlanta Faze - $1,187,500.00 - Call of Duty
- G2 Esports - $1,175,105.22 - League of Legends, Rocket League, Counter-Strike: Global Offenseive (CS:GO), and more...
- Virtus.pro - $1,124,415.00 - CS:GO, Dota 2, Fortnite, and more...
- Team SoloMid - $1,121,335.05 - League of Legends, Fortnite, Rainbow Six: Siege, and more...
- Team Secret - $1,077,570.84 - Dota 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, Age of Empires II, and more...
- Fnatic - $994,229.17 - League of Legends, CS:GO, Dota 2, and more...
Click to enlargeGames with the highest prize money of 2020
Despite having the highest-earning team, Call of Duty only finds itself in fifth place in terms of games with the highest amount of prize money to offer, although Call of Duty: Warzone also makes an entry in tenth place. Grand Master Chess doesn't make the top 10 despite having the highest earning esports professional, which outlines just how dominant Carlsen is. The CS:GO scene has seen the Astralis domination end this year, with the prize pool being spread evenly throughout many different teams, as it takes pole position. The Dota 2 International offers insane amounts of money, placing it in second place, followed by some familiar titles.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - $14,117,469.23 - 519 Tournaments
- Dota 2 - $8,304,860.20 - 139 Tournaments
- League of Legends - $8,003,608.46 - 65 Tournaments
- Fortnite - $7,871,151.40 - 103 Tournaments
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - $6,268,672.00 - 35 Tournaments
- Rainbow Six Siege - $5,015,764.30 - 40 Tournaments
- Overwatch - $4,336,862.00 - 9 Tournaments
- PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS - $3,997,052.57 - 52 Tournaments
- Hearthstone - $3,732,600.00 - 39 Tournaments
- Call of Duty: Warzone - $2,585,788.97 - 100 Tournaments
Click to enlargeCountries
Esports is worldwide, but one country has dominated the prize money standings. The United States is by far the hub of esports, with enormous sponsors plunging money into the industry, creating some huge prize pools for events. Outside of the states, the APAC region has thrived in titles such as Dota 2 and League of Legends, where the prize money has also been high.
- United States - $19,699,634.11
- Republic of Korea - $8,268,187.20
- China - $6,196,088.83
- Brazil - $3,766,636.58
- Russia - $3,618,972.63
- France - $3,586,718.45
- United Kingdom - $3,462,150.84
- Denmark - $3,230,339.57
- Germany - $3,042,584.23
- Canada - $2,927,177.48
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Image via Call of Duty League | Sven Magnus Carlsen
