Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag recently appeared on a podcast to speak about his organisation, 100 Thieves, and the wider esports landscape. He touched on the topic of 100 Thieves’ business model, which typically balances a fusion between esports competitors, content creators, and other influencers that push the ‘lifestyle label’.
He had some pretty hard truths about the financial side of the esports industry, particularly mentioning an issue with investors being the primary funding source for esports organisations. He also said that if he had the chance to start over with 100 Thieves, he’d never even think about getting into esports.
Strip Away The Esports
Talking on a recent podcast alongside Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop, Nadeshot revealed that if a global reset was handed to him, he wouldn’t consider doing esports with 100 Thieves. He spoke about the differences between esports and content creation, leaning into the suggestion that content generates more revenue than competitive gaming.
With the amount of capital that we have raised, if we could go reset and start from scratch there probably would not be any focus on esports. If I had to make that decision today as a businessman who has tens of millions of dollars at his fingertips to deploy.
Nadeshot cut his teeth in competitive Call of Duty, but that doesn’t mean that’s where he has to stay. It’s no big secret that the esports industry has struggled over the years, and layoffs and falling finances have landed some organisations in a dire situation. It’s all about raising the most money possible and making sure it’s sustainable.
The biggest streamers can make as much money in a stream or two as an esports team can earn in an entire tournament – if the esports team isn’t that good, that is.
For more Insider Gaming Esports, check out the news that Riot Games has founded a mixed-gender esports tournament
