Gaming
esports
eSports Earnings Top $15 Million Worldwide
A breakdown of the total winnings in eSports from 2013.
Cash money
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According to statistics compiled by ProGamingTours, $15 million in prize money was distributed in 2013 in eSports tournaments – a $3 million gain from 2012. In comparison, the biggest sporting event in America, the Super Bowl, paid out $15.5 million to players.
So if you need more proof that 2013 was the year eSports really became legit, look no further than these payouts:
The Big Three
Nearly $13 million of the $15 million in prize money came from the three major eSports – League of Legends, Dota 2, and StarCraft II.
- LoL was first with $5.4 million paid by 104 tournaments.
- Dota 2 was second with $4.4 million from 80 tourneys.
- StarCraft II was third with $3.3 million from 105 tournaments.
The Kings of eSports
The no. 6 spot through no. 10 on the charts are occupied by LoL World Champs SKT Telecom. Lee “Faker” Sang Hyeok is no. 6 with $229,483 in winnings and his South Korean teammates are close behind.
Aaron “Ace” Elam finished 11th by winning $200,000 at the Halo World Championships at Pax Prime last summer. Ace was the top American on the list.
The International runners up Na’vi were 12th through 16th place after taking home about $155,000 from Dota 2.
Lee Jaedong, who had a knack for finishing second place in big tournaments, was the second highest StarCraft pro at $125,276. He also increased his all-time winnings to $489,384, making him the highest earning eSports star ever.
Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn was the highest ranked North American StarCraft player and female on the list at #86 with $37,266.
If 2013 was any indication of things to come, the future of making a career out of eSports looks very promising.
