Leading eSports players in France 2022, by lifetime earnings

As of March 2022, Sébastien Debs aka Ceb was ranked first as the top-grossing eSports player in France with lifetime earnings of over 5.7 million U.S. dollars. Ceb's highest paying game was DOTA 2. Dan Madesclaire aka apEX was ranked second with over 963 thousand U.S. dollars in earnings from eSports.

A new craze

Due to the growing media coverage and the sponsoring put in place by many studios, takeaway prices are sometimes very high, and a very good player can expect to reach an income of several hundred thousand euros per year in France. These competitions are very popular, especially via the streaming platform Twitch or television channels dedicated to esports. In the same way as any other sports competition, spectators gather to follow their favorite players or teams. This phenomenon is gaining ground among French people, although it remains a niche market and primarily concerns viewers who are gamers themselves.

A new generation of players

While video games are a hobby for young and old alike, esports by its very nature brings together younger players. Indeed, while three-quarters of those under 24 are familiar with esports, this is much rarer among the older population. The games represented at these competitions also reflect the target audience; while the video game Fortnite made headlines when it was released in 2017, it is a game that has naturally entered the esports scene. Indeed, the battle royale game is incredibly popular among French teenagers, whether as a spectator or as a player.