Hamburg – E-sports have long since become a serious sport and a lucrative main occupation for numerous gamers. Depending on the league, various teams now compete against each other and even fill entire halls with enthusiastic fans. Some e-sports teams also enjoy celebrity status in the gaming world – for example, “Team Liquid”, or the “Evil Geniuses”. Here is a list of well-known and frequently played e-sports games.

If you want to be part of a popular e-sports team, however, you’ll have to work hard – because statistics, performance and points are the only things that count here. Those who prevail can look forward to handsome prize money and fame in the gaming world.

E-Sport Team: Structure, Functioning, Training and Professional Playing

An e-sports team basically differs from a regular sports team only in that the players do not have to be in physical proximity to each other to play together against another team. In fact, there are even e-sports teams that coordinate to play together in different time zones. A fast Internet connection is important for this, especially in the professional area, so that the hardware can be coupled at the same time. In fact, more and more e-teams are finding their way to each other by analogy and are even forming their own small companies with official headquarters.

Different teams compete against each other in tournaments of the respective e-sports league. Different games have different leagues, and there are teams that compete in several leagues. From a sports law perspective, there are still some gray areas for the area of e-sport teams. For example, it is not clear whether members of the same team are allowed to compete against each other in other teams in other leagues. Questions about medical performance enhancement, bribery, and other sports law concerns have also not been fully resolved. E-sports fans and those who want a professional career in gaming can therefore look forward to seeing how the industry develops in the coming years.

The most successful e-sports teams, clans and squads in the world

Team Liquid is one of the top favorites of League of Legends. The association was founded back in 2000, making it one of the oldest teams in the gaming industry. Their website not only lists the next tournament dates and livestreams, but also an online store with T-shirts and other merchandise with the e-sports team’s logo. One of their biggest rivals is Cloud9 – an e-sports team that has been chasing titles since 2013 not only in LoL, but also in online chess and many other games, such as CS:GO.

OG also has several teams under contract at once, is best known for their Dota 2 success. Fans from the US can cheer on the Evil Geniuses in LoL – and have been doing so since 1999! Fnatic already counts a total of 28 different titles and is one of the most famous team organizations with headquarters in London. OpTic Gaming should always be on your list of favorites when it comes to Call of Duty. Natus Vincere translates to “born to win” and was founded in Ukraine in 2009. The team is now considered the second most popular e-sports team in the world – just behind G2 Esports.

E-sports teams: team members, scouts, applications, sponsors and changes.

In soccer, basketball and the like, there are recruiters who find talent and then put together teams. With e-sports teams, this process was initially much more “democratic”. In fact, as early as 20 years ago, the first teams got together by messaging each other and jointly deciding which new team members to include, swap, etc. However, due to increasingly high profit margins, e-sports teams now also usually have legally binding contracts that are concluded among the team members. Accordingly, it is not surprising that most famous teams such as G2 and Unicorns of Love are not internationally positioned, but have a clear national affiliation, according to whose codes the distribution of profits and also any investments take place.

Of course, e-sports teams can also disband again. A prominent example of this is the German “E-Losers” with gaming legend Christian Chmiel. By the way, he became famous outside the gaming world through an online appearance of national soccer player Schürle! As in analog sports, teams often have jerseys that feature sponsors, a website, and the team’s name. In some countries, the first associations are already forming, such as the Korean e-Sports Association KeSpa or the British esports Association for Great Britain. The aim is to establish uniform standards for tournaments, payment and the like.

Well-known e-sports teams with celebrity status and a large fan base

Becoming a celebrity through gaming? But of course! Those who qualify for the following teams enjoy top status in the gaming world and can look forward to numerous investors and exciting events. But which teams actually belong to the crème de la crème of e-sports? These teams are either very well known, have a large fan base or have already won many tournaments and leagues:

• Team Liquid
• Evil Geniuses
• G2
• FaZe Clan
• OpTic Gaming
• Vitality
• SoloMid
• 100 Thieves
• Virtus pro
• T1
• Invictus Gaming
• Natus Vincere
• Unicorns of Love

Although most e-sports teams are in various leagues and also game forms, League of Legends as well as World of Warcraft are still considered top games, with several million gamers worldwide trying their luck and tactics every day. League of Legends can also be played free of charge on the PC by beginners. Both conventional Microsoft and MAC devices are supported. Amateurs and casual players are randomly assigned to teams, although amateurs can also join teams and compete in tournaments in the lowest league at first.

E-sports teams: player salaries, promotion opportunities, and time commitment.

One thing is certain: If you want to make a living playing e-sports, you have to be outstanding. Due to the broad access to games and also the quite affordable hardware, the competition here is even greater compared to analog sports. Professionals play and train up to 10 hours a day to get their reaction speed, reflexes and accuracy up to speed. But is all that effort worth it? In fact, professionals can expect to win 6-figure prizes at major tournaments.

Successful e-sports teams consist, at least in part, of professionals who devote themselves exclusively to gaming, which increases their popularity with investors accordingly. In fact, pros can expect to earn in the mid-six figures – per year! On average, a good gamer earns around 75,000 euros per year, with this figure increasing by another 10,000 euros per head in the case of a team. In addition, there is often the income from streaming services. If you want to watch your favorite team on Twitch, for example, you usually have to pay a few euros first.

Promotion, relegation and legal aspects of e-sports teams

Similar to analog sports, e-sports also have different leagues depending on their success rate. If a team regularly wins against competing teams in the same league, it can be promoted to the next league in the following – Season . Legally, there are still numerous question marks here, which are to be standardized by the increasingly international organization of federations. This involves questions of sponsorship, but also compliance codes. Riot Games, the developer of LoL, is currently in the process of opening several offices in Singapore and the Philippines and compiling common guidelines for amateur players and professional e-sports teams through intercontinental cooperation.