The video game industry is a lot bigger than it has ever been. In fact, some estimate it to be more profitable than the music and movie industries put together. And with recent changes due to pandemic guidelines, a lot of its profitability has come from esports. In 2021, the world’s eSport market went a little over a billion dollars. The number is projected to double over the next few years. Here are a few of the best-paying eSport games in 2022, including some good games for eSports online betting Canada. Here are several games contributing to this exponential growth.
Top profitable esports games in 2022
Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2
DOTA 2 has been the best–paying eSports game for almost a decade. It is expected to maintain its reign in 2022 and in the coming years. In 2021, The International, DOTA 2’s2’s main tournament, broke the record for the biggest prize pool in an eSports game.
It was worth slightly more than $40 million. If it maintains the same pattern, the pool may go beyond $50 million in 2022.
In 2021, the top five eSports players earned slightly more than $3 million in personal profit. Its top twenty players recorded more than half a million. This is an impressive amount of money going through the same game. With the profits of the game improving consistently, it will definitely break more records in 2022.
NBA 2K and NBA 2K League
When it comes to sports games, no one can deny their popularity. The NBA 2K League is an esports league joint venture between the National Basketball Association and Take-Two Interactive. The league was announced on February 9 of 2017. Later that year, the league revealed 17 of the 30 NBA teams would have their own NBA 2K League team during the inaugural season in 2018. While the venture proved to be an investment, it has paid dividends in both popularity and profitability.
League of Legends
This is one of the highest-paying and most popular eSports games in the world. It is the most popular PC game in the world, with about eight million players. The game was launched in 2012.
Since then, players have won over $80 million in events. Korea has some of the highest global earners. Even though the prize pool is always fluctuating, it is always impressive.
The real-time strategy game has two teams competing on a traditional MOBA map. Every team has five of more than 150 selectable characters. Each one takes on one of the following roles: Midlane (Carry), Toplane, Support and Jungler, and Attack Damage Carry.
Each champion has four unique capabilities. It would be best if you had unique tactics for each. For every role, the players compete against opponents playing the same positions. The aim is to attain an upper hand over the competition.
Currently, the game’s top players include Bengi, Faker, and Duke. They are always making over $1 million per year. The top 50 players easily pull more than half a million. The number doesn’t account for streaming revenue, sponsorships, or team bonuses.
Fortnite
Fortnite has been around for a while, and the hype around it hasn’t slowed down yet. The release of the Battle Royale Shooter set the pace for other popular games. It works with a basic principle. 100 players are playing against each other on a large map. To win, you must survive them all. Unlike most similar titles, Fortnite focuses on getting resources and building structures. There is a tactical advantage when providing cover or fighting other players. Fortnite has over 4,000 professional players.
Player Unkown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile
This is another of the most competitive games in the eSports scene. It is profitable, and it looks great on mobile. The mobile version has pulled in a bigger prize pool than its console and PC counterparts.
The Peacekeeper Elite League (PEL) is the biggest professional league for PUBG Mobile in China. In 2022, the league will bring in a total of $10 million for the prize pool. It has maintained high numbers for several years in a row.
The PMGC is the second-largest tournament for PUBG Mobile. It is pretty impressive, with a prize pool of slightly less than $3.5 million. The Winner Winner Chicken Dinner earns $1.5 million. Few mobile games can compete. PUBG Mobile is constantly growing its prize pool. There is a lot to expect in the future.
This year, the top five players have already earned more than 300,000. The main players will have made slightly over a million when the year ends. The top 300 players in the past three years are already making six figures or more.
Counter Strike-Global Offensive (CS:GO)
This eSports game has consistently appeared on the list for the past few years. In 2021, its prize pool hit a total of slightly under $22 million. It will definitely top the amount in 2022. The game is already off to an impressive start. The prize pools are doing well even though the year is still young.
There have already been two major tournaments this year. IEM Katowice 2022 opened with a one-million-dollar prize pool. The BLAST Premier pool stands at $2.47 million for all events. There will be more events in the future.
Even though players have to split up most of the prize money, CS: GO is still one of the most profitable eSport games in 2022. Its top five players are already making six figures.
FIFA (EA Sports FC)
No esports list is complete without top seller and chart topping sports series EA Sports FIFA. While Madden certain has its fair share of esports competitions, cash prizes, and season, FIFA has been a constant draw among fans. Despite the upcoming names change following FIFA 23, no doubt the series will continue to gain traction as EA expects to have more flexibility with the series now that it will no longer be tied to the FIFA license.
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