The winners of Dota 2’s The International 2019 and the Fortnite World Cup were paid more per-player than the winners of Wimbledon and The Masters this year.
The Fortnite World Cup paid out US$30 million in prizes to its participants, while The International 2019 surpassed Fortnite’s record-setting total just weeks later with an over US$33 million prize pool that awarded a staggering total in excess of US$15 million to its winning team, OG.
With more support than ever being thrown behind aspiring esports athletes, it might not be too long before more young people recognise Johan “N0tail” Sundstein than they do Novak Djokovic.
While the treatment of players in eSports still requires some work – one need look no further than Tfue’s dispute with FaZe Clan to see that there are still plenty of missteps involved in growing the scene – it is without a doubt a fixture of sports in general now.
As eSports becomes a more legitimate pursuit for young people who find they have a natural ability at competitive games, it is entirely possible a much bigger influx of talent enters the scene over the next few years.
Source: GMB
