Covid-19 has caused a massive hit to eSports events and tournaments worldwide, melting prize pools and cutting down viewership. The world’s highest-paid eSports game by total prize money, Dota 2, saw its 2022 prize pool decrease for the first time in the championship history, with the International 11 bringing merely half the prize money seen a year before. However, other eSports games have also significantly cut their prize pool money.
According to data presented by Safe Betting Sites, the cumulative Call of Duty: Warzone tournament prize pool dropped by 70% year-over-year to $1.9M in 2022.
Total Prize Money 33% Smaller than in 2020
Infinity Ward’s reinvented take on the battle royale genre, Call of Duty: Warzone was released three years ago. The title introduced new in-game mechanics and features never seen before and, unsurprisingly, became an overnight hit. Today, the battle royale counts more than 127 million players worldwide, with some competing in the Warzone tournaments.
According to Esports Earnings data, the cumulative prize pool for Call of Duty: Warzone eSports competitions in the year of release stood at $2.83 million. This figure more than doubled in 2021 and hit $6.12 million. However, the cumulative prize pool for tournaments across 2022 significantly dropped. Statistics show that Call of Duty: Warzone tournaments brought in $1.89 million in prize money in 2022, or only 30% of the figure seen in 2021. Also, the 2022 total prize money was 33% smaller than in the year of release.
In 2021, 808 players competed in 189 Call of Duty: Warzone tournaments. Thomas “Tommey” Trewren, Ben “Almxnd” Rosendahl, and Aydan “Aydan” Conrad as the top three players that year together won over $725,000. In comparison, last year, the top three Call of Duty: Warzone players won less than a third of that value, with $223,700 in total prize money.
Warzone Has the Biggest Cumulative Tournament Prize Pool of All Call of Duty Titles
Although Warzone saw its tournament prize pool melt in 2022, the battle royale remains the highest-paid Call of Duty game so far. Over the past three years, Call of Duty: Warzone tournaments brought in $10.8 million in total prize money. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ranked second with $7.5 million in the cumulative tournament prize pool. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 follows, with $6.7 million, respectively.
According to Esports Earnings data, the cumulative tournament prize pool of all Call of Duty games hit almost $63 million to date.
