If you’re into online gaming, you’ve probably also heard of some of the biggest online gamers who make a living from live-streaming on Twitch or uploading videos to YouTube. In the modern age, making money online has become an incredibly easy thing and there are plenty of examples of people who have used their knowledge and skill of online gaming to make the big bucks.
The larger the audience you are able to have, the more possibilities will open up for you to make an incredible amount of money. Not only do online gamers make money per stream, but they also make money through brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and through entering high-profile gaming tournaments. In this article, we’ll be talking about some of the most successful online gamers and how they have been able to amass their fortune. If you’re interested in becoming the next big thing in the gaming world, keep on reading so you can follow in the footsteps of some of the industry’s best.
How Big is The Online Gaming Market?
The online gaming market is an insanely profitable industry to be a part of; made up of a range of different sub-genres, the industry spans the entire globe. One of the sub-genres that has proven to be particularly profitable over the past few years has been casino games, which comprise slot machines, poker, roulette, and other casino classics. Around 26% of the global population gamble, putting the number of people logging onto casino games somewhere in the billions.
This is a trend that is being witnessed across the entire online gaming industry, which was valued at USD 61.7 Billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to at least USD 163.0 Billion by 2032. With these kinds of high valuations, it’s easy to see how so many people have been able to make a career for themselves out of their participation in the industry.
How Do You Make Money Playing Online Games?
There are plenty of ways to make money in this industry, especially as various gaming platforms have grown, and making money online has become a more legitimate revenue stream.
Although you can make money through playing the games themselves, like entering online esports tournaments and taking home the prize money, you’ll see below that some of the most wealthy gamers have made their fortunes through growing an audience and leveraging the power of social media.
Who Are The Top 4 Most Successful Online Gamers 2023
Online gaming has become an extremely lucrative side hustle, especially for the four gamers below who have become ludicrously wealthy by turning their hobby into a career:
- PewDiePie (Estimated net worth: $56 million)
PewDiePie – real name Felix Kjellberg – is a Swedish gamer who started out by making a YouTube channel for himself in 2010 to comment on the various games he was playing.
Although he didn’t know it when he first started, YouTube quickly grew into one of the most popular social media platforms. Felix quickly gained millions of subscribers grew his social media empire, and has been able to make his fortune through a mixture of streaming income, sponsorships, merch sales, etc.
- Ninja (Estimated net worth: $40 million)
Tyler Blevins, who goes by the name of Ninja Online, started off as a professional gamer who was well-known in the eSports tournament community. He started to make money off of his wins and quickly saw that there was a way to expand his empire by livestreaming his empire under the name, Ninja.
Since then, his streams have gone viral and he has millions of loyal followers tuning in every time he goes live. He was also the first professional esports player to be featured on the cover of ESPN and has multiple high-profile endorsements that have only added to his considerable fortune.
- Markiplier (Estimated net worth: $35 million)
Markiplier wanted to start a YouTube channel to show off his comedic skills and creative sketch videos, but it was his gaming videos that proved the most popular with his growing audience. So, being the businessman he is, he decided to stick with what resonated with his viewers the most – and still posts the occasional sketch video now and then.
Since he made his start on YouTube, Mark has extended his influence outside of just gameplay videos. He’s the co-creator of an athleisure brand called Cloak and has hosted a variety of podcasts and charity livestream events.
- JackSepticEye (Estimated net worth: $25 million)
Finally, we have JackSepticEye, an Irish gamer who is another one of the most–followed gamers on both Twitch and YouTube.
Alongside all of the money he has made through streaming, he also co-founded the athleisure label for gamers, Cloak, with Markiplier and regularly collaborates with other gamers.