The multiple titles approach has allowed Liquid to maintain its elite presence in esports having been the No. Since Valorant's release in the summer of 2020, competition has soared to . Our 12 companies have an average enterprise value of 13 times 2018 estimated sales. . T1 1. If you want to succeed in Asia, you have to be the bestits all about competition. That certainly helps explain the success of Seoul-based T1. By creating a plan and pivoting to online events. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. According to Forbes, the team brings in $35 million in estimated revenue, and are currently worth an eye-watering $240 million. List of Top 10 eSports Teams 1. FaZes lineup includes Nickmercs, one of themost popular gamers on Twitch andhighest-paid in the industry, earning $6 million last year. The San Francisco Shock, champions of Season 3 of the Overwatch League, took home $1.55M in prize money out of a total prize pool of $3.05M over the course of the regular season and playoffs. Top 20 Richest Esports Players. WSCs highlight automation improved the speed of ESPNs content creation. I think were going to see a variety of successful models emerge, bespoke to specific team assets and strengths, says Electronic Sports Groups Sharma. Virtus.pro competes in two of the top esports with teams in CS:GO and Dota 2 which brought in the bulk of its prize money in 2020. Page generated in 5.569934845 milliseconds, BetBoom Universe: Episode I - Comics Zone, RLCS 2022-23 - Winter: EU Regional 2 - Winter Cup, RLCS 2022-23 - Winter: NA Regional 2 - Winter Cup. 10 spot. TSM was able to win $158K in prize money in League of Legends as well as $179K in Fortnite. As the squad continues to look for an in-game commander, Danny #BERRY Krger will replace Sprout in their future matches in the ESL Challenger League Season 44 and the CCT Central Europe Malta Finals 1, according to esports media sources. Image credit: Roman Kosolapov. Alongside Fortnite and PLAYERUNKNOWNS BATTLEGROUNDS, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive accounts for over 60% of its earnings. Total Prize Money Earned: $15,731,970.21. They are known for their League of Legends, Dota 2, and StarCraft II teams but have recently expanded into CS: GO and Hearthstone. This has led to esports companies raising capital by the buckets. 4. Mainstream sponsors and advertisers involved with traditional sports like football and baseball may not jump aboard the esports bandwagon. This organizations prize pool money is directly tied to the. Esports players can earn with a regular salary from their eSports team, prize money from eSport competitions, sponsorships and usually also streaming revenue from Twitch or Youtube. As shown in Figure 3, global revenue for eSports is projected to reach $1.65 billion in 2021. Thats a key difference with traditional sports, where no one owns the idea of, say, baseball. The theory is: dilution is an acceptable consequence because 20% of something worth $1 billion is greater than 100% of something worth $100 million. Before the halt of Dota events, Virtus.pro was able to take home more than $472K in winnings by playing in various tournaments including EPIC League and winning ESL One Los Angeles. Red Bull 2. Team Liquid will look to capitalize on its CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, and possibly Valorant teams heading into 2021. U.S. Air Force 8. FaZe finished the regular season as the No. . By 2020, four of the top 10 were valued at more than $300 million. The average value of the top ten teams flatlined at $240 million in 2020, following a 54% rise in 2019, according to our exclusive annual ranking of the most valuable esports companies. League operations during the pandemic was instrumental in making sure the North American esports scene remained relevant. To account for market fluctuations, we used an average enterprise value between September 1 and December 1 and value the company at $180 million, ranking No. The Esports organizations participating in Mobile Legends could be forced to drop or never sign a team for Wild Rift due 2022 The Esports Observer - a brand by Esports Business Solutions UG (haftungsbeschrnkt) i.L. Last month, it sold its CDL franchise to 100 Thieves and its OpTic Gaming brand name, worth $10 million by Forbes estimates, to its original creatorHector HECZ Rodriguez, now NRG Esports co-CEOto use for that companys Chicago-based CDL franchise. FaZe Clan is trying to go public through a SPAC merger; the other nine companies in this years ranking remain privately owned. Esports is a rapidly-growing industry, and Forbes has revealed the 13 richest organizations in the professional gaming scene, including fan-favorite teams like TSM, Cloud9, and FaZe Clan. Tyler Blevins With an estimated net worth of 15 billion dollars, he is also known as the king of Twitch. G2 secured internation LoL success at 2019s Mid-Season Invitational. It was Virtus.pros CS:GO team that brought in the bulk of this years prize money; bringing in $641K including a $500K payday by winning Flashpoint Season 2. Alexander Garfield originally founded the team as a Canadian Counter-Strike team in 1999. TSM are one of the biggest names in League of Legends. They recruited their first Dota2 player in 2012. The top 10 esports companies are worth an average of $353 million, a 46% increase compared to December 2020. While many companies are expanding beyond esports, Forbes chose not to consider for this ranking Luminosity Gaming parent Enthusiast Gaming, which derives just 3% of its revenue from esports, according to its filings as a public company. Sponsorship is the biggest revenue stream ($359 million this year), followed by advertising ($174 million), media rights ($161 million), game publishing fees ($116 million) and merchandise and tickets ($96 million). Total Winnings: $139,418 Signature Legends . It is also represented by many over 19 countries, making it one of the most diverse teams on the planet. Fnatic was founded in 2004 with a Counter-Strike team. Dan Gilbert, who founded Quicken Loans and owns the NBAs Cleveland Cavaliers, invested in 100 Thieves after it got its League of Legends team last year. Following this, the market saw immense growth going into 2020 with a 15% rise on the previous year. Cloud9 recently announced a major apparel partnership with Puma, releasing their first collection in October 2019. Alongside N0tail, the TI-winning OG lineup are the all-time top-earning esports players: Johan "N0tail" Sundstein ($6.9 million) Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka ($6.5 million) Anathan "ana" Pham ($6.0 million) Sebastian "Ceb" Debs ($5.5 million) Topias Miikka "Topson" Taavitsainen ($5.5 million) NRG Esports (Valued $150 million)10. General partners include Nike, Red Bull, HyperX. Its a multi-game eSports outfit with over 90 players, most of which are from China. Plateauing values are leading early investorsincluding many venture capitalists, who according to Pitchbook have poured $4.8 billion into esports over the past five yearsto put the pressure on companies to make money. With that championship, the team took home $1.79M in prize money after defeating the Atlanta FaZe in the finals three maps to two. 1 ranking. The year 2020 wasnt kind to esports competition as many events were canceled or postponed due to health concerns surrounding the, pandemic. Carlos ocelote Rodrguez ability to develop competitive teams in multiple titles helped propel G2 Esports to No. In the Forbes annual list of the most valuable eSports organizations, two teams share the top spotSoloMid and Cloud9. 7 on the list. According to a new report from Forbes, the top 10 most valuable esports companies are worth a combined $2.4 billion, with some truly eyebrow-raising figures for teams like TSM, Cloud9 and. We included only companies that compete in gaming and excluded game publishers and arena builders. Reach Mike Ozanian at mozanian@forbes.com. . Each player independently controls a powerful character, their "hero, who has a unique ability and a differing style of play. Dota2, in particular, appears to be where most of the money is nowadays.Cumulative prizes for Dota 2 nearly reached. Invictus Gaming was launched by businessman Wang Sicong. In second on this years list is Cloud 9, another LA-based company that is valued at $350 million, down 13% from 2019. When FaZe Clan, the esports and entertainment company with a rock-star image and a cavalcade of celebrity partners, revealed in October that it planned to go public through a SPAC merger, the announcement came with a bold claim: that FaZe was already worth $650 million and would reach $1 billion with the money it raised in the deal. When this team was created in 2014, it quickly caught fire. In the Losers Final, FaZe would beat the Huntsmen once again, before losing, again, to the Dallas Empire in the championship. Evil Geniuses 4. Comcast Xfinity 3. For Spacestation, it was its. Its a page borrowed from FaZe Clans playbook. That is why eSports players stream as well. In July, its London Spitfire became the first ever champion of the Overwatch league. In the meantime, though, new sponsors have found their way to teams as the pandemic has supercharged online viewership numbers, with esports young male audience long considered a desirable but hard-to-reach demographic among advertisers. Team Spirit have divisions in Counter Strike: Global Offensive (2016), Dota 2 (2015), Hearthstone (2016) and League of Legends (2022). G2 Esports, the highest-ranked company outside of Los Angeles County, with its headquarters in Berlin, is branching out from esports with video content around its teams and a record label, G2 Music. Maroun "GH" Merhej $4.1 Million. Activision Blizzards ability to maintain its Overwatch League and Call of Duty League operations during the pandemic was instrumental in making sure the North American esports scene remained relevant. Still, that kind of aggregation doesnt reflect the opportunity in any one esporta fan of League of Legends doesnt necessarily care about Call of Duty, the same way an NFL fan doesnt necessarily watch the NBA. Team SoloMid has topped . Steve Aoki An incredibly interesting figure, this EDM musician, DJ, and producer is no stranger to technology. Last year there was approximately $240M up for grabs in esports prize pool winnings. The other focus for the company, which has offices in Seoul, Shanghai and Santa Monica, California, is its coaching platform, which launched last year and has already enrolled thousands of students in Asia, Gen.G says. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The team own an LCK LoL franchise spot in their native South Korea but also compete in Overwatch and NBA 2K League. Team Liquid began as a gaming community website and forum founded in 1998, but it truly started its rise to the top of the eSports world when it began sponsoring a Starcraft: Brood War team in 2010. The Biggest Esports Sponsors in the World 1. eSports teams tend to have similar components. Founded in 2016, its become home to over 90 gamers from around the globe. And Scooter Braun, manager of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, recently co-led a Series A round, bringing total funding to $25 million. Tundra doing well by winning over 40.00% of their recent matches. Sponsored teams make ads, wear sponsored merch, and share affiliate links with their followers. Esports has its first crossover star in Tyler Blevins, better known as Ninja; in an ESPN interview, Blevins suggested he earned seven figures a month. One of Team Secrets major accomplishments occurred in 2016 when they welcomed an international female Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. The Premier League and Electronic Arts are reportedly nearing an extension doubling. as well. What is the best eSports team. Ninja is the type of gamer every esports company and their sponsors covet. The company added to its seven-time North American champion League of Legends team by acquiring Blitz last year. An eSport player salary usually ranges from 1.000 to 5.000 a month, with some highly skilled players earning a salary of a stunning 50.000 a month. FaZe saw its net losses increase 28% year-over-year in 2021. Iconic sports namesfrom the New York Yankees and Houston Rockets to Robert Kraft and Magic Johnsonhave bought in. Skeptics point to the companys $36.9 million net loss for 2021, among other things, and Forbes now values FaZe at $400 million, No. LGD Gaming 15. However, much like G2, Liquid has diversified its team portfolio and brings in money from multiple titles. Beyond this, their estimate for 2021 is looking at a further year-on-year growth of 14.5%. It has built a series of teams for different games. The net worth for the team is $24,384. The favorite for this one looks to be Tundra Esports with maximum odd of 1.66 offered by Pinnacle. are the winners of the inaugural season of Activision Blizzards. Team Liquid belongs on any list featuring the biggest or best esports organizations. Facilities are being built where gamers can train. The announcement last month that the company, based in Santa Monica, California, is returning to competition in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may reinforce that image, but even C9 is creating new lines of business with Training Grounds, a coaching app, and with Stratus, a subscription service for super-fans. Riot Games and its League of Legends World Championship along with Activision Blizzards Overwatch and Call of Duty League Championships were the big money drivers in 2020 and did esports a great service by finding ways to keep the esports competitive scene moving. Here are 15 of the most popular eSports teams right now in alphabetical order. Those numbers dont tell the whole story, however. Teams must pay each player a minimum of $12,500 for the 28-match season. However, the Russia-based esports organization also competes in titles such as Fortnite and Apex Legends. is an esport that is looking to scale, having added four teams for a total of 20 that will now be competing in the Six Invitational 2021, which Spacestation will obviously be a part of. Virtus.pro 9. The organization also brought home more than $25K from Fortnite and $4.6K in Electronic Arts Apex Legends. team that carried the day, winning two out of the four events they played in, taking home $1.1M in prize money. This would give the team a bye all the way into Winners Round 3 where it would face off against the Chicago Huntsmen, which it eventually defeated 3-2. Team Envy own the Dallas Fuel Overwatch League team. Team Envy are one of the most legendary Call of Duty teams ever but have branched out to become a true powerhouse in esports, valued at $170 million. It has separate teams of players playing Dota and League of Legends. Pepsi's Mountain Dew 6. Their League of Legends team won the first League of Legends World Championship in 2011. What kinds of money have they been making, and what games are the most popular? 8. We painstakingly compiled our list of the 12 most valuable esports companies by talking to company owners, bankers and industry experts. Aster match roster is . The teams base is in Hangzhou, China. . Traffic cop at the intersection of money and sports. Once again, TSM, owned by Andy Dinh, leads the way, rising 32% to $540 million. Natus Vincere With esports events like the 2019 League of Legends World Championships bringing in almost four million concurrent viewers across Twitch and YouTube, its no surprise that competitive gaming is now a multi-million dollar industry, and shows no signs of slowing down. Seeking to broaden their appeal, esports companies are now morphing into broader entertainment companies. Number one on our list of best esports teams is Team Liquid. Leading eSports players worldwide as of February 2023, by overall earnings (in million U.S. dollars) Characteristic. The American organization own LCS and Overwatch League spots, and also compete in CS:GO, Fortnite, Rocket League and more. Cloud9 finishes second with valuation of US$350m; Team Liquid, Faze Clan and 100 Thieves round out top five. In games that have objectives worth points, there's going to be a position or two on a team dedicated specifically to that. Michal Konkol/Riot Games Inc. via Getty Images. match was the catalyst behind the No. In an even more distant future, the establishment of a metaverse linking multiple popular games together could steal some power from publishers, allowing teams to sell items or avatars that could transfer from game to game and mitigating the IP issues they are currently navigating. That was two months after the company made its first acquisition, buying gaming keyboard brand Higround. Among the hardest hit was Immortals Gaming Club, another Los Angeles-based group, which fell off the list because of a singular focus on competitive gaming. Importantly, eSports are not just some niche fad, likely to become old news by next year. Gen.G looks set to enter a period of rapid growth; the company says it signed more sponsorships in terms of total deal value in the first quarter of 2022 than in all of 2021, putting it on pace to grow revenue 100% year over year. Natus Vincere was founded in December of 2009. Since the pick up, NRG have locked down the Chicago Call of Duty spot, and continue to operate in many of the world's biggest esports, such as Fortnite, Smash, Apex Legends, and more, valued at. So who are the big names of eSports? Earlier rankings relied on capital raises and asset sales, which were limited in 2020; the sole major transaction was the sale of IGCs CDL franchise to 100 Thieves at cost. However, the Russia-based esports organization also competes in titles such as. Over two years, IGC paid $58 million for city-based teams that compete in each of the three major franchise leagues: the Call of Duty League (CDL), the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and the Overwatch League (OWL). In 2017, there were 74 deals (the majority from angel and venture capital investors) worth $1.52 billion involving esports companies, according to PitchBook, up from six deals worth $34. FaZe Clan also plays Rainbow Six Siege, COD: WWII, and Valorant, and are the 2021 Call of Duty League Champions. What you have seen in the last year is other esports companies are catching on to what has been our philosophy from Day 1, which is to explore the outer reaches of what gaming can be, says FaZe Clans CEO, Lee Trink. Overwatch is already adding expansion teams, and Riot Games has begun selling franchises for its European league. By Forbes calculations, excluding ad share revenue paid to talenta figure excluded from revenue estimates reported by other companies on the listEnthusiast Gaming is worth 5.5 times revenue. 2 earner last year by receiving more than $9M in prize money. Tundra won 1 times. Valued at $160 million, 100 Thieves, founded by former CoD pro Matt Nadeshot Haag, are more than just an esports organization, operating a hugely successful streetwear and apparel business, while also snapping up some of the most popular streamers in the world. A year ago, esports companieswhich play competitive versions of games like Fortnite and Call of Duty, sometimes in front of crowds of 40,000 or morewere gushing about war chests; oversubscribed funding rounds; celebrity investors like Drake, Stephen Curry and Jennifer Lopez; and a future that would see gaming teams eclipsing NFL teams in monetary value. 100 Thieves Estimated Value: $190 million Richest Esports Organizations 100 Thieves, LLC is an American lifestyle brand and gaming organization based in Los Angeles, California. 1 seed for playoffs, having accumulated the most points during regular season competition. (Newzoo, 2021) Meanwhile, the global esports market combined with games streaming is expected to be worth $2.1 billion in 2021 and more than $3.5 billion by 2025. Fnatic - $15.39m in 903 tournaments. By Mike Ozanian, Christina Settimi and Matt Perez. 4. This is the ranking of the Top 5 esports teams in the world according to prize money earned. Fnatics Dota 2 team was able to secure $168K in winnings playing in a very limited amount of events, having played in no events since Sept. 27. Virtus.pro has more than 50 players on its roster. FaZe Clan (Valued $240 million)3. He is also one of the most popular streamers among the fans. This team was able to still compete in various online events, even taking a third place finish in Flashpoint Season 2. team was able to secure $168K in winnings playing in a very limited amount of events, having played in no events since Sept. 27. Manchester United, the iconic publicly traded English soccer team, has a comparable multiple of 5. (Joint) Misfits Gaming (Valued $120 million)11. It would make more sense just to pay the $46 (statistically) Edit: Although, this doesn't account for the worth of the other guns you get that aren't USP. Cloud 9 sit top of the tree with an estimated value of $400 million, and $29 million in revenue. 13. In 2017, there were 74 deals (the majority from angel and venture capital investors) worth $1.52 billion involving esports companies, according to PitchBook, up from six deals worth $34 million in 2008. That team came third in The International 2012. Who is the highest-paid esports player of all time? FaZe Clan has broken into mainstream culture in a way no other esports organization has been able to, creating tremendous brand value as it looks to become a full-fledged media company with original content like the contest series Road To FaZe1, the horror movie Crimson and a comic book crossover with Batman. 2. It disbanded in 2014, but LGD signed up a replacement squad, which they called LGD CDEC, later rebranded CDEC Gaming. The Los Angeles-based company, which is developing a lifestyle brand at the intersection of apparel, entertainment and esports, in December announced a $60 million funding round at a $460 million valuation. LGD then created another Dota squad, which they called LGD.int. Huge prize pools in this industry are common. A surprisingly large number of people compete in eSports teams to earn their living. If you are not already interested in electronic gaming, you may be surprised by just how big an industry eSports now is. 5 - Spacestation Gaming: $1.36M Coming in at No. They were smart. Earlier this year he signed 19-year-old superstar player Ali Myth Kabbani to his team and invested $1.5 million into a 4,300-square-foot house for his Fortnite roster of four to live, practice and stream for hours a day. European-based Team OG began as the team Monkey Business, which rebranded in October 2015. With that championship, the team took home $1.79M in prize money after defeating the Atlanta FaZe in the finals three maps to two. Each game listed alongside a company indicates the company fields a competitive esports team in that title, apart from content streamers. Global eSports revenues are projected to reach $906 million in 2018. 10 Team Liquid . TSM, which rebranded to TSM FTX after signing a $210 million partnership with the exchange, is valued at $540 million, the most valuable esports company in 2022. The deal covers multiple Disney-controlled networks including ESPN, Disney XD and ABC. was concerned taking home $1.017M playing in 12 events that survived the pandemic. While it is typical in esports that one event, such as the Dota 2 International, is usually the cause of a teams No. The year 2020 wasnt kind to esports competition as many events were canceled or postponed due to health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Cloud9 topped the first two editions of the Forbes ranking, in 2018 and 2019, and has historically been the dominant pure-play esports brand. Evil Geniuses are one of only a few teams to have mixed rosters - with their Valorant team consisting of both men and women. The worry now is that esports companies might be swept up into a metaverse bubble. League did everything they could to be successful in 2020. Facebook and Amazon go for 7.4 and 3.8 times this years estimated revenue. According to Forbes, G2s value has grown by $60 million in 2019, up to $165 million, with an estimated revenue of $22 million per year. Gen.G are a Korean-based esports organization. It is highly competitive, and there are tournaments offering sizeable prize earnings around the globe. Fnatic has traditionally shown a commitment to the biggest esports games, entering Valorant and Halo Infinite since the last Forbes list. KATOWICE, POLAND - MARCH 02: General view of Spodek Arena during Counter-Strike: Global Offensive quarter-final game between Cloud9 and FaZe Clan on March 2, 2018 in Katowice, Poland. In 2021, the total market value of the eSports industry hit the. The police have back . The company, which has offices in both Los Angeles and the Netherlands and is considered especially brand-safe for advertisers, is diversifying in several directions at once. T1 is one of the older eSports teams around. A mere $92M. 22 when compared to last years list. International, there just wasnt a chance at taking home the same kind of money as last year when the organization took home $2.06M by virtue of a fourth place finish at the aforementioned International. We take a look at the top 10 richest eSports teams in history. If youre interested in selling products, becoming an Amazon influencer can be a good 2023 is shaping up to be a big year for advanced RFP software solutions. Total Prize Money Earned: $18,385,456.79. 4 in the ranking. The Esports team will test how the game is designed to be highly competitive, using tournament-style gameplay that will be put to the test by top players. So what makes an eSports team? 2019 - Present Team: TSM Approx. Newbee is a Chinese e-Sports team. competes in two of the top esports with teams in, which brought in the bulk of its prize money in 2020. North America is projected to account for approximately 38% ($345 million) of global eSports revenue in 2018. Upon learning of allegations against Mr. Dinh, TSM immediately hired an independent investigator to begin a thorough internal investigation, the team said in a statement this week, echoing an earlier announcement in January. 100 Thieves 100 Thieves is one of the top gaming teams in the world today. One other development that could help or hurt teams is Microsofts pending acquisition of Activision, one of gamings biggest publishers. One particularly notable partnership is with cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb as Gen.G ties itself to Web3 technologies. The esports team was founded in the Netherlands back in 2000. The team participates in Clash Royale, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Overwatch, Dragon Ball FighterZ, COD and many other eSports games. It even supports television coverage, for those who still prefer the big screen, rather than livestreaming via Twitch on their tablet or phone. 1 ranking. They signed their first professional players when they began playing StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty in 2010. The modern battlefield in gaming is for larger social media and YouTube talent, says John Robinson, COO of 100 Thieves, a Los Angeles-based game outfit that owns franchise teams competing in League of Legends and Call of Duty. Teams had 3 encounters in the past, Aster won 1 times. (Joint) Overactive Media (Valued $120 million)13. Once again, Johan "N0tail" Sundstein has managed to amass the biggest prize purse of awards thanks to his commitment to professional Dota 2 and string of successes in 2018 and 2019 with his team, OG. A single tournament can yield hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money, but almost all of it goes to the players. It holds the record for the most League of Legends Championship Series split titles in the EU LCS. Take a look at the diversified winnings with Team Liquids, Team Liquid will look to capitalize on its, Activision Blizzards ability to maintain its. Other companies that field esports teams but derive a small fraction of their revenue from esportssuch as Shopify, with its Shopify Rebellion divisionwere similarly excluded. more than tripled its esports prize money earnings from last year where they earned $436K. Titles include Age of Empires II, Apex Legends, and Fortnite. Their breakthrough came in the Frankfurt Major 2015, where they defeated Evil Geniuses, CDEC Gaming, and Team Secret. Enter the email address you used for registration. The company is also looking to expand globally with a particular eye on the U.S., with plans for a flagship in New York. Many consider their Counter-Strike team to be one of the best of all-time, having won three CS: GO Majors. almost four million concurrent viewers across Twitch and YouTube, 100 Thieves CouRage leaves Twitch to stream on YouTube, acquisition of former OpTic Gaming chief Hector H3CZ Rodriguez, About Dexerto: Editorial staff, standards and policies, We may earn an affiliate commission from links on this page. Games go in and out of style, which would mean companies would need to drastically change their rosters. 1. Indeed, Team OG won five of the first ten tournaments it entered. Chipotle took notice and signed what could be a seven-figure deal with TSM. Team Rankings Highest Overall Team Earnings Highest Single Game Team Earnings Top 100 200 300 400 500 Highest Overall Team Earnings This list represents the top ranking teams in esports who won the most prize money based on tournament results, player transfers and team statements published on the internet.