Top Fortnite Esports competitors are now earning more than some professional football players.
Esports may be a relatively new industry, but no one can deny that it’s quickly expanding. Paramount+ brought esports to the small screen with its new Mockumentary series, Players, earlier this year, while Motorsport UK is hosting the first British F4 Esports championship. But besides being a growing industry, it turns out; Esports is also incredibly lucrative. In fact, according to an article by MoneyTransfers.com, Some Fortnite competitors are earning more than the average English Football League (ELF) Championship athlete.
While Fortnite Esports champions still aren’t raking in as much as the ELF’s top players, like Cristiano Ronaldo, twelve Fortnite competitors have earned over $1 million from Esports tournaments. Kyle Giersdorf is currently the Fortnite competitor with the highest Esports competition earnings, having won roughly $3.5 million since 2019 and that doesn’t include income from streaming their tournaments. Giersdorf makes an additional $180,00 per year from advertisements on Twitch and YouTube. And that’s still not counting revenue from merchandise sales and sponsorships.
On average, a member of the EFL Championship League earned £401,323.46 or $469,315.28 for the 2021-2022 season. That’s well below Giersdorf’s $3.5 million in prize money over the past four years. Other Fortnite players to rake in over a million USD in tournament winnings include Harrison “Psalm” Chang and David “Aqua” Wang. Chang has earned over $1.8 million in tournament winnings, while Wang has made over $2 million.
“This data review shows just how lucrative video gaming can be – and hopefully will help convince the public that this is a legitimate career path,” said MoneyTransfers.com CEO Jonathan Merry. “It’s also worth noting that this is just one game – and while Kyle Giersdorf’s earnings are impressive, he is only the 21st highest earner across all eSports.”
Women in Esports
Despite being in its infancy, Esports is already a male-dominated industry. Luckily, however, companies are working to narrow the gender gap. Last month, G2 Esports announced its all-female League of Legends team. Sports car brand McLaren promotes women in esports, while Denny’s partnered with Complexity in August to support females in Esports.
Jack Brassell is a freelance journalist and aspiring novelist. Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. As an author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. Also an avid gamer, she works as the lead news editor at Hardcore Droid. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge-watching Parks & Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.
