How Much Money Do Pro League Of Legends Players Make?

In a surprising revelation during GamesBeat Summit 2019, Chris Greeley, Riot Games' senior manager and commissioner of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), divulged the financial landscape of professional players in North America, leaving many astonished.

The Impressive Salaries

Greeley unveiled that the base minimum salary for LCS players stands at a commendable $75,000. However, the actual average income surpasses these expectations. He stated, "A pro LCS player earns an average of $300,000 as a guaranteed base salary, even before factoring in bonuses or prize pools."

The average LCS salary has doubled since 2017, increasing from $107,000 to $300,000 over the course of two years. OpTic Gaming's LoL general manager Romain Bigeard revealed a similar figure last year, listing the average salary of LCS players as $327,000 during an interview with LiquidLegends.

Such impressive salaries would have been out of the question when the LCS got its start in 2013; however, since LCS adopted the franchise model in 2018, the numbers seem much more feasible. LCS now requires a $10 million buy-in from teams, mirroring the set-up of traditional American sports.

Esports salaries tend to remain secret, making Greeley's statement a surprising and uncommon admission. Though $300,000 may seem like a lot of money, it pales in comparison to League superstar Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok of SK Telecom T1, who is rumored to make $2.6 million a year.

Incentives, tournament winnings, sponsorships, and Twitch streams can push this number above the $4 million mark according to Hong "YellOw" Jin-ho, a former StarCraft zerg player.

With esports growing in popularity, the average salary for League of Legends players will likely continue to rise.