Esports has long been elevated to a spearhead in the digital entertainment industry of China in recent years. Stars in esports with impressive achievements and titles receive what can be described as an extremely “huge” compensation from salaries or prize money.
Even for trainees or lesser-known players, their income is not lower than the average of ordinary workers. No need to argue, the Chinese League of Legends scene boasts many “under-30 millionaires,” as most of their veteran stars possess vast fortunes.
A prominent DOTA 2 star from China once claimed that a Chinese player’s annual income could match the prize money they receive if they win The International, approximately $3 million (before taxes), based on the prize money at TI9.
That’s for DOTA 2, but for League of Legends, this amount may be less, yet earning millions of dollars each year for the top stars in the LPL is entirely feasible. Although the prize pool is much smaller than DOTA 2, League of Legends has a salary mechanism for players, and the value of advertising contracts for this game is also higher due to its popularity.
However, the dreamlike scenario mentioned above seems to only apply if you are a top star with sufficient fame and exposure. Recently, Mlxg – a name that can be considered a legend in the LPL and specifically in Royal Never Give Up – shared insights that made fans reflect on the vast disparity between top stars and those playing “supporting roles” in a League of Legends organization.
In his latest stream, Mlxg shared for the first time about his current living situation. The former RNG jungler stated that he is still living in a rented apartment in Shanghai. Mlxg said that he cannot afford to buy a house, not even a modest apartment, because he doesn’t earn enough.
In fact, Mlxg mentioned that his current apartment is very lacking in amenities, and his gaming corner is the most valuable spot in that room, with neighbors being mostly ordinary workers. He then continued to compare his life with that of his former teammates.
First is Uzi, the former ADC of RNG, who lives in a luxurious urban area of Shanghai, surrounded by famous stars, and Uzi’s apartment itself is extremely spacious with high-end furnishings and amenities.
Mlxg further added that owning real estate in Shanghai – one of the most expensive cities in the world – is not a simple matter. Another example he provided is Letme. The top laner of RNG even owns a five-story villa in Hainan, which is comparable in value to luxurious apartments in Shanghai.
Mlxg did not hide the fact that he feels extremely envious of his former teammates, as they both share the same “retired warrior” situation, yet Uzi and Letme own far greater wealth than him.
This is not the first time Mlxg has talked about financial issues, mainly hinting at the overly modest salary he receives compared to what he contributed to RNG. Back in 2018, Mlxg also revealed that he couldn’t even save up to 1 million Chinese Yuan (over 3 billion VND) – an amount sufficient for Mlxg to open a barbecue restaurant as he wished after retiring.
Meanwhile, Uzi’s income before retirement was estimated to be around 30 million Chinese Yuan (including salary, bonuses, and advertising income), which is about 98 billion VND. This income disparity likely exists because Uzi has always been considered a central figure in RNG, and in fact, all the most lucrative advertising contracts must include this player, not to mention the salary that RNG pays Uzi is always among the top 2 in the world (just behind the salary that T1 pays Faker, or possibly even more).
Mlxg is an undeniable legend of Chinese League of Legends, but his name does not attract fans like Uzi, and perhaps this is the reason his income is so modest.
Some fans hypothesize that Mlxg might be complaining a bit too much about life, and that his inability to save money for a house is simply due to a lavish lifestyle. However, the reality has shown that Mlxg is not a well-known party animal, and the owner of RNG has also spoken out to acknowledge that Mlxg’s salary is much lower than Uzi’s because his brand value cannot be compared to his former teammate.