Who are the richest gamers in the world in 2019? What are they doing differently? We summarized the details for you here.
Since when are gamers making any money? Welcome to 2019, where E-sports is a booming billion-dollar industry and stadiums are being erected to house tournaments.
The following players are the top 10 earners in the gaming industry:
10. Kyle Giersdorf, @bugha
THIS MAN JUST WON THREE MILLION DOLLARS.@BUGHA #FORTNITEWORLDCUP pic.twitter.com/LB43UGGV9h
— Sentinels (@Sentinels) July 28, 2019
Net Earnings: $3 million
- At only 16, he won the 2019 Fortnite World Cup and took home the $3 million-dollar prize.
- Prior to this competition, he was only at $25,000 in earnings (which is still impressive for a 16-year-old).
- He says he will be spending his some of earnings on a new desk and investing the rest.
See Kyle Giersdorf play on Twitch.
9. Saahil Arora, @UniverseDOTA
Forward gaming is doing a giveaway. You could win a @goFORWARDgg team jersey and a tracksuit, thanks to https://t.co/8ipnQGv1ae. There’s still a couple of days left to enter here: https://t.co/J6NZqL739P pic.twitter.com/b7PuIuTQ3V
— Saahil Arora (@UniverseDota) November 30, 2018
Net Earnings: $3 million
- This gaming vet has participated in 75 tournaments over a decade.
- A Wisconsin Native; considered one of the best offlaners in DOTA 2 in the world.
- Notably, he’s the only gamer to attend every Valve-sponsored event.
See Saahil Arora play on Twitch.
8. Sumail Hassan, @SumaaaaiL
A milestone that deserves a fancy banner. Congrats again to @SumaaaaiL who is the first person to 1000 kills at The International! pic.twitter.com/2OHbmdW5ja
— Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) August 17, 2019
Net Earnings: $3.3 million
- Moved from Pakistan to America to further his gaming career.
- While playing DOTA 2 for EG, he became the youngest gamer to ever earn $1 million through gaming.
- He was also in Time Magazine’s 2016 Top Influential Teenagers.
See Sumail Hassan play on Twitch.
7. Jesse Vainikka, @iamjerax
<3 @iamJERAX @OGesports pic.twitter.com/2FqRySODtR
— Troy Stark ⎊ #DreamOG (@qwertroyuiop) August 21, 2019
Net Earnings: $3.3 million
- Began his gaming career with Heroes of Newerth.
- Currently a top player in DOTA 2; he led the newly formed Team OG to victory at the International 2018.
- He also runs his own merchandise company, Jerax.
- Jesse Vainikka’s net worth is estimated to be in the millions.
See Jesse Vainikka play on his site.
6. Lasse Urpalainen, @MATUMBAMAN
We’re excited to announce the acquisition of Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen.
He brings a winning attitude and a unique hero pool to our team. We can’t wait to see how he will contribute to the success of the squad.
Full Announcement: https://t.co/WuezUXyiaI pic.twitter.com/Sat5DnxL0R
— Chaos E.C. @ #TI9 ?? (@ChaosEC) June 22, 2019
Net Earnings: $3.5 million
- Signed with Team Liquid in 2017 and has proven himself a valuable DOTA 2 player.
- In his youth, he played basketball for the Finnish National Team.
- He’s also hosted many major tournaments across the world.
See Lasse Urpalainen play on Twitch.
5. Ivan Ivanov, @LiquidMinD_ctrl
Congrats to @TeamLiquid‘s DOTA Team for winning the China Supermajor 2018 in the Grand Final against Virtus Pro. In such a close match, small things make a difference – like @LiquidMinD_ctrL pushing the boundaries against the enemy carry in game 3. #LetsGoLiquid pic.twitter.com/gaETkV6ZO1
— SAP Sports (@SAPSports) June 13, 2018
Net Earnings: $3.6 million
- An offlaner for Team Liquid; has built a strong DOTA 2 reputation for himself.
- He’s competed in over 60 tournaments and helped secure over 25 first place finishes.
- Despite some questionable anti-Russian comments made during a stream in 2018, he’s still a fan favorite.
See Ivan Ivanov stream with Team Liquid.
4. Johan Sundstein, @OG_BDN0tail
Psssst, #TI9 starts in 2 weeks.
Don’t forget to check our Official Shop if you wanna feel the OG vibe while watching the best tournament of the year ?https://t.co/MnoExGfLt5#DreamOG pic.twitter.com/wl8IAb4crX
— OG @ #TI9 ?? (@OGesports) August 1, 2019
Net Earnings: $3.7 million
- The original founder of Team OG; has built a legacy of wins in Heroes of Newerth and DOTA 2.
- In 2018, he achieved victory with Team OG and helped them win the largest gaming prize in history: $11 million dollars.
See Johan Sundstein play on Twitch.
3. Amer Al-Barkawi, @Liquid_Miracle
Miracle- “Anime Version” FanArt ? @Liquid_Miracle @TeamLiquid #MiracleInTheZone pic.twitter.com/2FgiQiKj74
— Kyle (@kylemayuga) June 24, 2017
Net Earnings: $3.8 million
- Prior to signing with Team Liquid, he was a notable player for Team OG as well as an esteemed non-affiliated gamer.
- With OG, he helped win the first-ever DOTA 2 Major.
- Today, he’s responsible for the mid-laner position on Team Liquid.
See Amer Al-Barkawi play on Twitch.
2. Kuro Takhasomi, @LiquidKuroKy
The Grand Magus pic.twitter.com/UaWJQsat1J
— KuroKy (@LiquidKuroKy) June 29, 2014
Net Earnings: $4.3 million
- One of the top 5 DOTA players of all time, he is the highest competition-earning gamer in the world.
- He’s won over 36 different tournaments and maintains a coveted spot on Team Liquid.
- One of the three players in the world to compete in every International Championship.
See Kuro Takhasomi play on Twitch.
1. Tyler Blevins, @Ninja
Today is the official release of my book “Get good” my ultimate guide to gaming. I have been gaming my entire life and have been playing games professionally for 10 years. Everything I have learned and more condensed into my first book. I hope you love it. https://t.co/t6fyWFZ95A pic.twitter.com/uMY5Ijytd3
— Ninja (@Ninja) August 20, 2019
Net Worth: $15 million
- Known as the King of Twitch; earned over $10 million dollars in 2018 from streaming on Twitch.
- The bulk of his earnings come from advertising, sponsorships, and donations.
- In terms of competitions, he usually earns $3,500-10,000 per tournament.
- Despite his low competition earnings, his immense profits from streaming have made him the wealthiest gamer in the world.
See Tyler Blevins play on Twitch.
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