The cost of eSports: Unknown Worlds breaks down Natural Selection 2 World Championship budget

The Natural Selection 2 World Championship tournament played out in Cologne, Germany a couple of weeks ago, and the whole event was broadcast live over Twitch complete with lights, commentators, and prize money.

World Championship tournament played out in Cologne, Germany a couple of weeks ago, and the whole event was broadcast live over Twitch complete with lights, commentators, and prize money. The spectacle will be familiar to anyone who follows eSports, but now developer Unknown Worlds has shared with PC Gamer a detailed breakdown of what that event cost to put on and how that cash was used.

The semi-final and final rounds of the world championship tournament took place in Germany after Natural Selection 2 fans donated $30,000 to a travel fund through GoFundMe. This money went directly to flying the competing teams to Germany, paying for their hotel rooms and team shirts, and the winners' prize money.

Unknown Worlds broke the costs down further, revealing that the event cost a total of $67,443 to put on. Sponsors and donations paid for roughly half of that amount, and Unknown Worlds brought in the rest. For their trouble, the world championship became the first Natural Selection 2 event to generate direct revenue for the company. Over 80,000 people watched the stream online.

“Events like this are why we make games: To bring people together, to create shared experiences, and make special moments that extend out of the game world and into the real,” Unknown Worlds PR rep Hugh Jeremy told PC Gamer. “We hope that by sharing this information, we can help other developers and player communities create their own events, and maybe throw us some feedback too!”

Natural Selection 2 is an exceptional multiplayer shooterthat you should check outif you haven't already. If you liked the tournament highlights, you can watch the full championship round, and other matches as well, on Twitch.