Although pro gaming has been around for decades, never have we seen such an interest in the esports industry like we do today. Some may have doubted the esports’ ability to reach the status of professional sports like NBA, NFL, and others in terms of global appeal and revenue profit, but the truth of the matter is that esports is nowadays widely recognized as one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
The team at NJGames was curious in finding out just how popular esports has become, so they composed an infographic that shows how fast the esports market is growing. In 2018 alone, the esports industry took in $906 million in revenue. To put things into perspective, that’s almost $270 million more than they made back in 2014. Most of this money (40%) came from sponsorships which come in at several levels.
In 2016, Microsoft bought a gaming startup called Mixer and the platform is now worth $5 million dollars. Mixer viewership has risen from 100,000 users in 2016 to 20 million in July 2018. Also, Twitch, the largest streaming service in the gaming business amasses 55 million viewers every month. Although audiences don’t bring a lot of money through ticket sales and merchandise, they play a vital role in the expansion of the esports industry.
YouTube gamers are making tons of cash as well as YouTube Live generated $940,000 total tip volume in the first quarter of 2017 alone. Fortnite has become an overnight sensation as it shattered the record for the most viewed game in YouTube history.
Finally, the top-earning professional gamer is Kuro Takhasomi, also known as Kuroky, who plays DOTA 2 for team Liquid and has earned more than $4 million in his professional gaming career. In fact, all three of the highest paid esports athletes are all professional DOTA 2 players.
The esports industry has been gaining a lot of popularity in the last couple of years, and professional video gamers can now make millions of dollars annually. If you want to find out more about the appeal of esports and the future of esports in the Olympic Games, keep on reading the infographic.
