The UK eSports Sector Represents 8% of the Market
According to numerous reports, the UK eSports sector represents around 8% of the market across the world. London has slowly solidified itself as a prominent base for eSports facilities, with Red Bull, Side Quest, Guild eSports and even Platform all investing heavily in venues across the city.
You also have the ESI London conference, which takes place in the city. At the end of the day, it's not all about London though. It seems that the rest of the UK is quickly picking up the pace. Whether it's Sheffield's Team Endpoint or Liverpool's Sports facility LevelTap, there's a great deal of infrastructure that is being developed across the whole nation.
The UK's Pool of Talent for eSports
Alongside the UK's general development as a hub for the eSports sector, it seems that the scene has a strong history with gaming as a whole. This is largely due to Fnatic, and fans in the UK playing Rocket League, Call of Duty, FIFA and VALORANT.
Fnatic have even spearheaded competitive success within the country, becoming League of Legends Champions in 2011. They also claimed a total of three CS:GO Majors through non-UK rosters between the years 2013 and 2015. When you look at things from a player perspective, it seems that the UK is producing a lot of talent across a huge range of titles.
You have Cameron 'Cammy' McKilligan, RØKKR's Ben 'Bance' Bance and Ultra's Jamie 'Insight' Craven who are representing the UK in games such as Call of Duty. Within the FPS genre, the UK is making a name for itself in games such as VALORANT. UK players are also part of notable teams, including NRG and Sentinels.
The UK is also home to a range of talented FIFA players, including Donovan 'Tekkz' Hunt, Tom 'Stokes' Stokes and Spencer 'Gorilla' Ealing. Even though it has a lot of historical struggles, the UK scene is on the rise, with organisations such as Tundra, Endpoint and EXCEL eSports all gaining more and more popularity within the scene.
Highest-Earning eSports Players in the UK
As there are a lot of initiatives to help gamers in the UK, it seems that more and more players are stepping up to professional ranks. If you want to find out who the highest earners are, then you can find them below.
Jaden "Wolfiez" Ashman - $1,367,708.07 (£1,077,904.02)
Before he reached the age of 18, Wolfiez was awarded $1,367,508.07 in prize money from a total of 56 tournaments. Out of the 57 tournaments he took part in, his biggest win, which stood at over one million dollars, came from the Fortnite World Cup Finals in 2019.
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Harry "Veno" Pearson - $766,450.96 (£598,410.37)
Veno won $534,950.00 from prizes over 51 tournaments before hitting the age of 18. He's completed over 90 tournaments, with the biggest win coming from FNCS: Chapter 3 Season 2. He took part in the Grand Finals in Europe, placing first.
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Ben "Bance" Bance - $213,742.44 (£166,880.48)
Before his 18th birthday, Bance had earned $1,392.44 in prize money, spanning over 3 tournaments. His biggest prize was when he participated in the Call of Duty League Championship in 2021. He finished second but came away with $162,500.00.
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Henrik "Hen" Mclean - $739,497.84 (£577,366.64)
Hen won over $727,872.84 before the age of 18. This came from 107 tournaments, and his biggest win came from the European tournament of FNCS: Grand Royale. His finish made up around 27% of the money he's won over the years.
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Kyle "Mongraal" Jackson - $718,429.23 (£560,917.21)
Mongraal came away with $715,954.22 before reaching the age of 18 as he participated in 87 tournaments. Most of his money was earned before 2022. The biggest prize he won was from the Fortnite World Cup Finals in 2019, which totalled $225,000.00.
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Jamie "Insight" Craven - $691,682.26 (£540,034.38)
Right now, Insight ranks #281 in terms of overall earnings and is #6 out of the highest earners in the UK. Out of the 51 tournaments he's competed in, his largest win came from a Call of Duty tournament, where he came away with $165,000.00.
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Benjy David "BenjyFishy" Fish - $650,275.32 (£507,705.71)
Right now BenjyFishy ranks #316 in terms of the highest earnings and is #7 in the UK. He played in 140 tournaments before the age of 18. The biggest prize he won was $50,000.00 which resulted from him policing 1st in the FNCS Invitational in Europe.
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Thomas "Tommey" Trewren - $612,049.28
Before turning 18, Tommey won just $58.81 in cash prizes from one tournament. He has since taken part in 233 tournaments, with the biggest prize being from Baka Bros wonderLAN. This resulted in him taking home $25,000.00.
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Donovan "Tekkz" Hunt - $601,725.24 - (£477,860.54)
Right now, Tekkz is #359 in terms of overall earnings. He also comes in at number #9 on the UK rankings. He earned 62.86%, or $378,227.47 in prize money before turning 18. Out of all the tournaments he participated in, his biggest win was $50,000 which came from the FUT Champions Cup Stage 1.
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Cameron "Cammy" McKilligan- $573,150.00 - (£447,489.73)
Cammy comes in at #387 on the global rankings but he's one of the highest earners for the UK. He won a big chunk of his money from the Call of Duty League Championship of 2021. His second-place finish granted him 28.35% of his total prize money. He's a keen player and spends a lot of his time trying to better his playing ability by investing in new gear and going up against fierce competitors.
UK Government Recognition
Even though it has yet to be recognised as being a sport, the government has talked very positively about eSports within the UK. eSports has the potential to develop as an area of national strength. eSports has also received several impactful statements from government officials. Sadiq Khan has said that the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a current global leader when it comes to eSports. The UK government have also provided funding to the video game sector. They have done this through the VGTR scheme, which gives a 20% tax break to approved games through the HM Treasury.
Even though the UK does have a low number of elite professional teams and players, it is home to a lot of amateur eSports tournaments and leagues. You also have several high-profile events including the ESL One Birmingham, as well as the League of Legends World Championship.
Top 10 eSports Events in the UK
In the UK, numerous eSports events are held every single year. Some of the top ones are listed below and you can bet on them from the comfort of your home at online casinos in the UK.
- ESL One Birmingham 2024 : This event showcases Dota 2 action live, as the best teams compete against each other to have a shot at the title. This is taking place at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham.
- Blast Premier Spring Final 2024 : Some of the biggest Counter-Strike players in the world attend this event, which is taking place in London at the OVO Wembley Arena.
- RuneFest 2024 : RuneFest 2024 is taking place in the UK once again. Jagex has announced that it will be held in Birmingham, during Insomnia 73.
- PUBG Mobile Grand Finals 2024 : This is often a highlight of the eSports calendar, with the event taking place in the UK. This year it's happening in December, with some highly-anticipated action due to take place.
- Epic 40 EpicLAN : A total of three EpicLAN events are taking place in Kettering, with Epic 41, Epic 42 and Epic 43 all taking place throughout the year.
- Insomnia Gaming Festivals in 2024 : The Insomnia Gaming Festival is returning in April, with the event held in Birmingham.
- ESI London 2024 : ESI London is returning once again, with the difference being that the event is being held in Q3 of this year.
- EGX 2024 : Even though EGX isn't an eSports event, it's held multiple tournaments, particularly within the fighting games community.
- Endpoint HQ in 2024 : EndPoint opened its HQ in Sheffield, launching the Pracoom earlier this year. They are hosting numerous events.
- World 2024 Finals : This is one of the biggest events to take place this year, with the League of Legends finals happening in November 2024.
The UK's Growing Scene
The UK eSports might be small, but it has a great deal of potential. It's growing at an annual average of 8.5% and it's supported by millions in gross-added value. Its contribution as a whole to the UK economy partially stems from the sales of video games themselves, with over 46% of eSports followers in the UK using streamers and influencers to discover new games. At the same time, it seems that the UK is home to some of the biggest eSports and gaming sectors in the world.
You have a number of competitive gaming giants, including Riot Games, Twitch and even FACEIT who all have numerous holding offices across the country. With British pro players at the top of their game, including Wolfiez with Fortnite and Boaster with VALORANT, it's safe to say that the scene is growing at an exponentially high rate, despite some eSports betting platforms like Mr Green leaving the UK market. The wealth of British desk hosts, analysts, streamers, content creators and influencers are also gaining global recognition, which is helping to bolster the growth in the UK even more.
As you can see, eSports is still growing in the UK but some top names are already standing out from the crowd. These top earners could be surpassed soon as new players make their mark, but that helps to make the world of eSports so exciting. As new games come out, it wouldn't be surprising to see even more names rise through the ranks.
With eSports, gamers tend to stick to one or two games as it allows them to hone their craft. As time goes on, more games come out and this brings new gamers into the fold, allowing people to play on a level field for a while before professionals emerge from the ranks. It's things like this that help to make the world of eSports so exciting, and it's one of the reasons why the gaming sector is growing at such a fast rate right now.
