How much does the average player competing in the North American League of Legends Champion Series player make?
The Riot backed competition for North America switched to a franchise system in 2018, moving away from the relegation and promotion and aligning more with traditional sports in the region.
With a buy-in cost of $10 million dollars for the existing teams or $13 million for brands looking to make their entry, there's certainly a lot on the line for those who've stumped up the cash.
The assumption is always that the buy-in amount would be the biggest financial headache, but it appears that salaries of the players are up there as one of the biggest costs for an organization in the ten team league.
OpTic Gaming recruited former Unicorns of Love manager Romain Bigeard to manage their squad when their franchise application was accepted, and in an interview with LiquidLegends.net, he confirmed that the average player salary is now around $372,000 a year, up from $150,000 in 2017.
"I believe franchising was a key step for the overall NALCS growth. The average player salary was bumped up from $150k/year in 2017 to $327k/year in 2018 (a concerning trend for teams), and the amount of cash invested by organizations into their infrastructure greatly increased as well. It is becoming a full industry, with long-term sponsorship deals happening and a lot of visibility on the line."
The previous figure of $150,000 was submitted after ESPN put out an anonymous survey to pro players, but it appears the money behind the NA LCS franchise teams has bolstered the wages.
In comparison, it's believed that the highest salaries currently on offer in the Call of Duty industry is around $150,000 a year and around $300,000 in CS:GO.
Source: LiquidLegends
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