How Much Do Riot LCS Casters Make?

All you loyal fans of the League of Legends franchise who closely follow the League of Legends esports scene from your comfortable chairs and passionately support your favorite players and teams, you know for sure that this spectacular experience would not be the same if no casters were offering you all information about matches, players and news from the world of League of Legends. 

You’re probably already familiar with some of these faces, but it’s worth mentioning who the League of Legends casters really are:

Probably the best League of Legends casters are those who comment live (play-by-play), analyst casters, and color casters. They give magic to every match because of their improvisation and special comments, which make every single game interesting and alive. You may have heard of Captain Flowers, LeTigress, or the new face of Emily Rand, a well-known journalist who worked for ESPN and is coming for the upcoming 2021 LCS broadcast.

Like any commentator, they must be prepared for unexpected unfoldings, get to know each team and all champions, and also know how to properly convey the live match experience to all spectators in front of the screen. Furthermore, a commentator’s job is talent, because, in addition to broadcasting a live match, they must have an interesting personality, they must know how to speak clearly and be interesting to the viewers so that they do not press the mute button.

In esports, commentators are called Shoutcasters, and instead of commenting, shoutcasting is a term named after the Winamp plugin by the name of shoutcast. Younger generations are probably unfamiliar with Winamp – Winamp is a media player dating back to the 1990s. It was the Shoutcast plugin that allowed people to make their own small radio station and broadcast it on the Internet.

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Can you become a League of Legends eSports Shoutcaster?

Yes, but you need to have a little bit of talent and a little bit of luck. Shoutcasting may not be a common career or a path worth following. Nowadays, people who work hard enough have a habit of combining work with a hobby, so even in this case, especially when you see average earnings, this career is very successful. To become a League of Legends eSports Shoutcaster, the following things are important:

1. First, you have to be an expert in League of Legends; you have to know the game’s rules, strategies and builds of most champions, and you have to know what most amateur players don’t know. This way, you will be able to be interesting to the spectators because you will know at all times how to broadcast the match ideally.
2.  Just having the skill to play and learn about champions is not enough; you have to have an interesting personality, quirky jokes, and enthusiasm. Addressing the audience is a demanding job because you are expected to entertain them at the same time, but also to broadcast the match well. Interesting casters always have a ready joke or something about the players or the team, which is exactly what makes them irreplaceable when casting the game.
3. You can’t skip steps to get to the top; I guess you know that. For starters, use a Twitch or YouTube channel to try to cast the games. Choose a game; it doesn’t have to be a live game; prepare your interesting comments, gather the most important information about the game, record it all and upload it to your own channels. 

This is a great experience as it will allow other players to comment on your broadcast and give you constructive tips and critiques to improve your shoutcasting. In addition, there are various companies that offer the opportunity to beginners to try themselves as shoutcasters but without pay. For those of you who really want to build a career as eSports shoutcasters this is a great opportunity to build a portfolio.

4. And last but not least – know that eSports is a big industry that is growing day by day and that it is not easy to get to the desired position and make money from shoutcasting. Focus on your goal, start making your own money and persevere in your intention to become successful, but if you fail, have an alternative for your future career.

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How much does a League of Legends eSports Shoutcasters earn?

Shoutcasters are divided into those who are freelancers and those who already have experience as decent quality shoutcasters. Freelancers can earn up to $ 700 on a daily basis, but at the risk of not being bound by a contract, while contracted shoutcasters can usually earn between $ 20,000 and $ 25,000 a year. Those who are already experts in this industry can earn over $ 75,000 per annum.

Here is a quick overview:

As can be seen, it takes a lot of talent and sacrifice to reach the annual six-figure payment; however, for those who really want to succeed in the eSports industry, there will always be a way to stand out in the crowd. As additional unpaid offers, beginners are also offered opportunities to shoutcasting and promote the game with an income of 25% commission.

Beginner freelancers, if they are lucky, can find rare companies that can offer them a salary of $ 4 / h, and after some time when they are more skilled, individuals can gather enough experience through their own streaming channels (Twitch, Twitter, YouTube). Later, they can start looking for offers with a higher hourly rate. 

Here, the salary can be around $10 / h, which means that the average annual salary of a medium-level shoutcaster would be between $20,000 – $25,000 per year. Even according to SimplyHired.com from the USA, the average salary of an eSports caster is around $70,000 per year.

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The Crème De La Crème 

Some of the most famous eSports shoutcaster faces earn exactly these six figures/year bracket are Trevor Henry “Quickshot,” David Turley “Phreak,” Andrew Day “Vedius,” Isaac Cumings Bentley “Azael,” Daniel Drakos “Drakos” and many more. Researching and reading their biographies, tips, and tactics, you can try to follow in their footsteps because they also started as amateur gamers and gaming lovers. They are now planetarily popular and proof of how hard work, sacrifice, and desire can lead to magnificent results. And a little bit of luck, of course.

Conclusion

It must now be clear to you why the eSports industry is very tempting for all gaming enthusiasts who want to combine the comfortable with the useful. In this article, the focus was on shoutcasters whose popularity is growing day by day and brings together everyone who is eager to share their speaking and comedy skills with viewers. Add to that the average salary of professional shoutcasters, and this career is really worth of trying. With many professional shoutcasters and their advices, you too can find motivation and start hunting for the eSports industry today.