Five most valuable esports companies of 2022

    In a recent report released by Forbes, the value of the top 10 esports companies, has gone up approximately 46% since December 2020

    Fans watch the semi-final between the teams Vitality and Astralis at the ESL One Cologne Fans watch the semi-final between the teams Vitality and Astralis at the ESL One Cologne

    The combined worth of the top ten esports companies is estimated to be USD 3.5 billion, with an average of USD 3.53 million.

    Esports is a sticky business to generate a profit with the number of times coming up in the recent years. Valuations of most of the emerging esports companies are not driven just by revenue from streaming and prize money but by different divisions. Esports companies are now looking at opportunities to monetize their fanbase through blockchain, Metaverse and Non Fungible Tokens. They plan to use NFTs to sell in-game items such as skins. TSM and Fnatic have signed partnerships with crypto trading platforms such as FTX and Crypto.com.

    The viewership of esports is on track to reach 532 million spectators this year, with 261 million of those watching esports content more than once per month. Most of the viewership for esports content comes from youtube and twitch. Thus, media rights revenue has not caught up to the total viewership.

    TSM (USD 540 million)

    TSM primarily competes in Valorant and League of Legends events. They generated a revenue of USD 54 million last year. They signed one of the most lucrative deals in esports with cryptocurrency exchange FTX, a ten-year naming rights agreement for USD 210 million.

    However, the most significant source of revenue and selling point for TSM is their tech business, including Dyno, providing a Discord moderation bot and an app named ‘BLITZ’ that helps the user improve their performance at popular gaming titles.

    100 Thieves ( USD 460 million)

    100 Thieves primarily competes in Valorant, Call of Duty: Vanguard and League of Legends events. Their value has risen by a whopping 142% since 2020, taking them from the fifth spot to the second on the Forbes list of most valuable esports companies. In October 2021, they acquired Higround, a premium keyboard brand, and just two months later announced a funding round worth USD 60 million.

    Team Liquid ( USD 440 million)

    Team Liquid primarily competes in Valorant, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Age of Empires, and League of Legends events. aXiomatic Gaming, the parent company of Team Liquid, has headquarters in the Netherlands and Los Angeles and has raised USD 35 million in their most recent round of funding in early May. 

    They also own 1UP, a video production studio, and Liquid+, a community-based platform, wiki network, Liquipedia, and an influencer management agency named Liquid Media.

    FaZe Clan ( USD 400 Million)

    FaZe Clan competes in Valorant, Call of Duty: Vanguard, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive events. FaZe Clan is one of the most well-known esports faces and has created an enormous brand value. They have turned into a full-fledged media company over the last years, having produced the horror movie, Crimson, and a comic book series. According to recent reports, they plan to branch out by launching consumer products around their famous players.

    Cloud9 ( USD 380 million)

    Cloud9 primarily competes in Valorant, Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and League of Legends events. They were the most valuable esports team in 2018 and 2019 before slipping down the ranks. 

    The Santa Monica-based firm is looking to create new lines of business, which include Stratus s subscription service and a coaching app.

     

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