Top 10 SA pro esports earners have won over $470,000 to date
Thabo "Yvng Savage" Moloi seen during a shoot in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 17, 2020. // Mpumelelo Macu/Red Bull Content Pool // AP-24S1HF29H1W11 // Usage for editorial use only //
A recent chart by South African (SA) data journalism hub, The Outlier, has revealed that the top 10 professional South African esports earners have won over R8 million ($470,000) in competition winnings to date.
The chart looks at pros playing either Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) or FIFA 18, with compLexity Gaming CS:GO gamer Johnny “JT” Theodosiou as the top earner earning R2 million ($117,682) to date, followed by Davenport University’s Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek winning around R1.8 million ($105,914). ATK Esports‘ pro-CS:GO gamer Rhys “Fadey” Armstrong rounds up the top 3 with earnings of around R779,000 ($45,837).
Eight of the top 10 professional South African esports earners play pro-CS:GO, with only two playing FIFA 18. You would have to go down to the sixth top earner to find PSG Academy Esports Coach Shiaan “Shiaan1201” Rugbeer, a pro-FIFA 18 gamer earning around R549,000 ($32,304). Thabo “Yvng Savage” Moloi of Goliath Gaming is in seventh place, earning R526,000 ($30,950).
Below are the Top 10 professional South African esports earners;
Currently, there are 186 million gamers in sub-Saharan Africa, with South Africa leading the charge when it comes to esports in the continent, as over 40% of its 59.31 million population is currently playing some game. As such, we could be heading towards a future where the R8 million ($470,000) multiples in the coming years as more and more gamers turn pro.
