Ritika Janiya
Famous YouTube stars KSI and the Sidemen have made it into the Sunday Times’ first-ever Gaming Rich List, joining the ranks of the UK’s richest gamers. They enjoy a £50 million fortune and feature alongside the brains behind some of the most popular gaming titles, including Candy Crush, Minecraft, and Grand Theft Auto. It lists massive wealth created through gaming by some creators under 35 years old.
High-profile YouTube stars KSI and the Sidemen have made their mark on the Sunday Times’ first-ever Gaming Rich List as some of the richest gamers and creators in the UK. In the list, they are combined with those behind famous games such as Candy Crush, Minecraft, and Grand Theft Auto.
Igor and Dmitry Bukhman, the co-founders of Playrix, are in position one. Brothers who created hit mobile games Township, Fishdom and Homescapes share a fortune of £12.54 billion. KSI and the Sidemen didn’t quite reach the top, but they definitely made waves by securing 21st place with a shared £50 million wealth. Not bad at all, really, if one considers the type of company they’re sharing the list with.
The Gaming Rich List includes young and experienced developers; moreover, more than a quarter are under 35 years old. The average age of millionaires on the list comes out to be 45, showing that gaming is one of those industries where a person, young or old, can make their fortune. It is, however, male-dominated with just three women.
Olajide Olatunji, aka KSI, is a member of Sidemen, one of the most popular YouTube groups, creating light-hearted videos ranging from humorous challenges to hilarious sketches and engaging video game commentaries; these have been the major subjects that have contributed to his greatness. Well, KSI doesn’t stop here; he is also an established musician and boxer, which certainly would help him to such a bank balance.
Another YouTube star in the lineup is PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, a Swedish vlogger. Presently living in Japan, PewDiePie has various companies based in the UK and comes in at number 25, with an estimated fortune of £45 million. Much like KSI, PewDiePie’s rise to fame began on YouTube, where he amassed millions of followers across the globe by virtue of his gaming commentary and vlogs.
The top earners include brothers behind Rockstar Games Dan and Sam Houser. They have made their way to the top, perhaps best known for their hallmark series Grand Theft Auto, which has turned out to be a cultural phenomenon. The Houser brothers ranked 4th on the list, with a combined fortune amounting to £350 million.
Also among those in the top 10 are the brains behind mobile game phenomenon Candy Crush. Riccardo Zacconi, Mel Morris, and Sebastian Knutsson have seen their creation downloaded over three billion times since the game’s inception 12 years ago. Their success has propelled them into the top 10 of the Gaming Rich List.
Another name topping the list is that of Debbie Bestwick, former chief executive of Team17. They are the brains behind the very popular Worms game series. She has had tremendous success in the industry, placing her at 13 with a fortune of £130 million. Her career was mentioned as highlighting what a woman could do within the gaming community, despite women being poorly represented on the list.
The only woman who cracked the top 10 is Wendy Irvin-Braben, who, alongside her husband David, makes up Frontier Developments. These are the people responsible for a ton of big-name games, and their combined wealth of £175 million has put them in 10th place. The success of Wendy proves that in the gaming industry, anything can be done, regardless of one’s gender.
The next woman to make this list is Tamsin O’Luanaigh, who, alongside her husband Patrick, established the virtual reality company nGames. They lie 28th with a combined worth of £26 million. This goes to show that even though it might be mainly a male business field, women are doing great as well and having major success.
According to Robert Watts, the compiler of the Sunday Times Gaming Rich List, “For most people, making a fortune through gaming probably still sounds like a fantasy. In fact, the rich list shows real stories of people who have done so.” They were tales of turning a passion for gaming into a pathway to extraordinary wealth.
It thus serves to inspire upcoming gamers and game developers: with talent, creativity, and hard work, it’s possible to make great success in the gaming world. Be it game developing, content creation, or playing, the potential for killing it in gaming is very real these days.
With gaming becoming a worldwide industry, it’s very exciting to see who’s going to make it into the millions in the following years. Will more young talent join the list? Will more women rise to the top? Only time will show, but one thing is for sure: gaming isn’t going anywhere anytime soon—it just proves gold for people who know how to game.
