By Sagar V. Mankar Recently, the Marvel movie Deadpool and Wolverine made a grand opening, becoming one of the greatest hits in the MCU with over $1 billion in box office earnings. While I haven’t started reporting on movies, the context of my statement is to draw your attention to the sunrise sector that nearly earns 1.5 times that of the Marvel movie. Yes, I’m referring to the esports industry.
As of 2024, the top 100 esports games have awarded nearly $2 billion in prize money to over 100,000 players through more than 50,000 tournaments.
These figures are not from me; they come from Soulbound.gg reports, which source these numbers from various esports and statistical sources like esportsearnings.com, Statista, and Speedrun.com, and through their own methodology, they have calculated the outcomes.
Here are some key findings:
1. Until now in 2024, the top 100 esports games had distributed $1.72 billion in prize money across 52,451 tournaments to 131,543 players, highlighting the vast opportunities available in the esports industry.
2. The global esports audience is expected to reach new heights, with projections indicating it will surpass 640 million viewers by 2025.
3. Top 5 Games Dominate: Dota 2, Fortnite, CS:GO, League of Legends, and Arena of Valor contributed $896.8 million (52%) of the total prize money.
4. Top Esports Countries: China is leading the charge with over $289.1 million in earnings followed by The United States with $268.3 million and South Korea with $141.4 million in earnings.
5. Dota 2 has alone awarded $349.7 million in prize money, accounting for over 20% of the global total, highlighting its popularity.
6. CS:GO/CS2 has the highest number of players (16,441), followed by League of Legends (9,477), Fortnite (9,334), Rocket League (6,028), and Dota 2 (4,896).
7. In Mobile Esports, PUBG Mobile dominated with over $83.6 million in prize distribution in 331 tournaments. Meanwhile, Arena of Valor awarded $92.8 million in just 175 tournaments.
8. New Titles Rising: Newer titles such as VALORANT and Apex Legends are quickly making a name for themselves, with prize pools of $27.1 million and $22.9 million, respectively, signaling their growing influence in the competitive scene.
Top 10 Esports Games by Prize Money
- Dota 2 – $349.7 million
- Fortnite – $182.1 million
- CS:GO/CS2 – $162.4 million
- League of Legends – $109.9 million
- Arena of Valor – $92.8 million
- PUBG Mobile – $83.6 million
- PUBG – $61.8 million
- Rainbow Six Siege – $46.1 million
- StarCraft II – $41.4 million
- Rocket League – $38.4 million
Top 5 Esports Countries 2024:
1. China
- Top Games: Dota 2, Arena of Valor, PUBG
- Highest Earning Player: Wang “Ame” Chunyu with $4.1 million
2. United States
- Top Games: Fortnite, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Highest Earning Player: Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf with $3.6 million
3. South Korea
- Top Games: League of Legends, StarCraft II, Overwatch
- Highest Earning Player: Lee “Faker” Sang Hyeok with $1.5 million
4. Russia
- Top Games: Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite
- Highest Earning Player: Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov with $5.7 million
5. Brazil
- Top Games: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite
- Highest Earning Player: Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo with $1.2 million
The Bottom 10 Esports Countries of 2024
- 1. Kenya
- 2. Nigeria
- 3. United Arab Emirates
- 4. Dominican Republic
- 5. Morocco
- 6. Ireland
- 7. Colombia
- 8. Lithuania
- 9. Macao
- 10. South Africa
For more information, you can check out the official Soulbound.gg website. And remember to subscribe to Gaming Foodle for more news!