Want to know who are the top 5 Korean esports players, making the most money in the circuit? Read on…
During the recent few decades, the video game industry has proven itself to be a highly profitable one. Apart from top publishers releasing new material to an extremely demanding market regularly, gamers have also involved themselves in the industry with professional gaming competitions. Esports has become a money-making machine in itself. The concept continues to attract major financial backers and sponsorship partners as spectators’ interest, and player participation continues to grow.
Just a few years ago, players with six-figure salaries in the industry were considered worthy of an article. These days, even a thousand dollar salary is not that much of a deal. This increase in pay is a direct result of the industry’s rapid growth. According to KOCCA, Korean esports has grown by over fifty percent between 2014 and 2017.
So, instead of sitting in a basement and beating your friends on COD, it might be a good idea to make all the time and effort you have put into improving your gaming skills pay off. To provide a brief idea of how much one can earn in the major leagues, we have carefully crafted a list of the top 5 Korean Esports players:
1. Faker (US$1,213,853)
A professional LoL player from South Korea, Faker, is without a doubt most people’s favorite mid-laner. His real name is Lee Sang-hyeok. He used to go by “GoJeonPa” on the League of Legends Korean server when SK Telecom picked him in 2019. Ever since, he has been a mid-laner and a star player for SKT T1.
2. Duke (US$952,9534)
Invictus Gaming lifted the Summoner’s Cup in the 2018 Season World Championship, and it was their player Duke (one of the best eSports Players) who owned that day. Formerly known as Leopard in-game, Lee Ho-seong became a top laner for the Invictus Gaming team in 2016.
3. Wolf (US$913,085)
Lee Jae-wan, who goes by Wolf in-game, is one of the players that got by the post-shuffle of the 2018 Season World Championship. He currently plays for SuperMassive esports.
Formerly, Wolf used to be a jungle and support for SKT T1. Some other in-game nicknames he goes by include Bard, Thresh, Barum, and Alistar.
4. Bang (US$910,451)
Bae Jun-sik is another LoL player and one of the best eSports Players in the world. He currently plays as a bot-laner for Evil Geniuses. In 2018, Bang played for 100 Thieves. He has also consistently served SKT T1 as a bot-laner for five years.
5. eSports Players: Bengi (US$810,683)
Previously a coach and jungler for SKT T1, Bae Seong-woong is considered to be one of the “original” members of the team by long-time Summoners. Presently retired, Bengi has won three World Championship trophies.
Top Korean eSports Players: Conclusion:
Essentially, all of this adds to one thing: there is a lot of money in the esports industry. Whether through becoming a part of a team or competing individually in tournaments. Elite esports players can attract similar endorsement deals and base salaries as that of traditional athletes. And with the esports industry gaining traction, their worth will only increase with time.
To conclude, you do not need a conventional career to be considered successful. These players are an example that one can earn a living off their passion- even if that passion is gaming. After all, most of the esports players mentioned in the list started gaming as a hobby. They probably went to gaming cafes, utterly unaware that one day they would be some of the wealthiest athletes. So don’t let your talent and passion for gaming go to waste!
