1) Team Newbee – China
AKA: Zhang Pan (Mu), Chen Zhihao (Hao), Zhang Ning (xiao8), Wang Jiao (Banana), Wang Zhaohui (SanSheng)
Total earnings: $1,005,661 each
I understand I’ve cheated a little bit here, but these guys recently won so much money that their team would basically now comprise the entire list, and I wouldn’t want the other entrants to feel too deflated. They probably do though, as the five members of Team Newbee bagged just over a cool one million dollars each – effectively doubling the previous record – in a single tournament.
The tournament in question was Valve’s International, a Dota 2 competition that’s responsible for so many of the other dollars in this list. This time, however, history was ready to be made, with the prize pot sitting at over $5 million, the largest electronic sports prize ever offered. Someone had to win it, and so they did. Ironically named Newbees, their skill and aggression proved they were anything but – and now they’re gaming millionaires.