Stewie2K is first NA CSGO player to reach $1 million in prizes

Steven Rondina Published 02/12/2019

Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip has joined Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s illustrious millionaires club.

Courtesy of his team’s performance in the ECS Season 8 Finals, the Team Liquid player jumped over the $1 million mark for career earnings in tournaments. He is the first North American player to achieve this and the only player from outside the current lineup of Astralis to do so.

Though the number doesn’t accurately represent how much Stewie2K has made in his career due to it not accounting for things like player salaries, sponsorships, and taxes, it does stand as something of a career achievement award.

Stewie2K established himself as a force during his rookie year in Counter-Strike, playing with Splyce and SapphireKelownaDotCom in 2015 and enjoying some success in domestic tournaments.

In 2016, he started his two-year run with Cloud9. Joining one of esports’ most recognizable brands and playing alongside a roster of high-end talent was a profound jump for Stewie2K, both in terms of money and results. According to Esports Earnings, he took in nearly $400,000 during his time with the team and won several prominent events, the biggest being the ELEAGUE Boston Major in 2018.

Shortly after, Stewie2K made the surprise decision to leave behind Cloud9 and head to the Brazilian CSGO scene by joining the SK Gaming roster that would eventually became MiBR. The decision led to mixed results, but did see Stewie helping the team win events including Adrenaline Cyber League 2018 and ZOTAC Cup Masters 2018. Before the end of the year, he was traded to Team Liquid.

The addition of Stewie2K immediately paid off for Team Liquid, with the team exacting revenge upon longtime rivals Astralis at iBUYPOWER Masters IV. From there, Liquid’s 2019 became the best calendar year in the organization’s CSGO history as the team won several big events including ESL One: Cologne 2019, ESL Pro League Season 9 Finals, and IEM XIV Chicago.

CSGO’s top esports earners are attached to big-name teams

Stewie2K reaching the $1 million mark is actually an achievement based on how he did so without being attached to a single dynasty CSGO team.

The top five all-time earners in CSGO are the five members of Astralis. The Danish squad has won the game’s last three majors, and has been wildly successful in both 2018 and 2019.

Stewie2K sits in sixth place and right behind him are Epitácio “TACO” de Melo and Stewie2K’s former SK Gaming teammates Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Fernando “fer” Alvarenga, and Marcelo “coldzera” David. The quartet of Brazilians have spent a significant portion of their careers together and have won two majors.

Past that is a mix of players from various teams. A number of players from the 2014 to 2016 Fnatic lineup trail behind Stewie2K, as do most of his current Team Liquid teammates.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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