StarCraft: Brood War Bitcoin Prize from 2011 is Now Worth Millions

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Key Takeaways

  • A StarCraft tournament in 2011 awarded four runners-up 25 Bitcoins, now worth over $2.5 million each.
  • The winners only received a small cash prize compared to the Bitcoin consolation prize.
  • The players who received the Bitcoins apparently did not hold on to their prizes to become millionaires.

As someone who has been following esports and its evolution for over a decade now, I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief when I think about the 2011 StarCraft tournament that awarded runners-up with 25 Bitcoins, worth millions today. If only they had held on to their prizes! I remember being captivated by the potential of Bitcoin back then, but even I couldn’t have predicted just how astronomically valuable it would become.

Back in 2011, a notable StarCraft tournament offered second-place winners a compensatory prize of 25 Bitcoins. With Bitcoin’s remarkable surge in value today, those 25 Bitcoins are worth over $2.5 million! This means that the 2011 StarCraft competition could be one of the most financially rewarding esports events ever held, given Bitcoin’s astronomical price increase over the past thirteen years.

Stories about Bitcoin mishaps, like the unfortunate programmer who has over $200 million worth of Bitcoin stuck on an immovable hard drive, are often shared online. Similarly, the world of esports now has its own tale of missed opportunity and fortune before the esports boom. While Blizzard Entertainment’s sci-fi RTS series StarCraft played a significant role in launching competitive esports into the global phenomenon it is today, these early tournaments were much smaller compared to today’s high-stakes competitions. Although StarCraft has lost its prominence to newer games such as League of Legends and Valorant, it still maintains a competitive esports scene. The Esports World Cup 2024 (SC2) in Saudi Arabia this year offered a prize pool of $1,050,000, with the French winner Clement “Clem” Desplanches receiving a grand prize of $450,000.

Contrasting this, Scan emerged victorious in the 2011 StarCraft: Brood War iCCup StarLeague event and pocketed $500 from a total prize pool of $1,000 – a relatively small sum, considering inflation over a span of thirteen years. What was surprising though, was that the runners-up of this tournament were to receive one of the most precious prizes in esports history. The top four players took home winnings of $500, $250, $150, and $100 respectively, while the fifth to eighth placed competitors received an award of 25 Bitcoins each. At that time, these 25 Bitcoins were worth roughly $41.25. Today, one Bitcoin is worth more than $100,000, implying that each 25 Bitcoin prize is equivalent to over $2.5 million.

2011 StarCraft Bitcoin Tournament Prize Worth Millions Today

It appears that the participants who were unaware ended up not holding onto their cryptocurrency, preventing them from becoming millionaires today. Back in 2021, Sziky, who finished fifth in the Team Liquid forum competition, shared his misfortune of not having luck on his side over the years. He doesn’t specify exactly when he cashed out his Bitcoins, but admits that he’s not a millionaire, hinting at perhaps spending some of the winnings on a drink. However, it seems that this was more than what the other runners-up received. The eighth-placed player, Jumper, has openly admitted to never even collecting their Bitcoins, which are now lost forever. Hejek, in seventh place, and possibly others have also shared similar stories. Koll, who placed sixth, hasn’t revealed what happened to their potential fortune. Yet, the resurgence of StarCraft on Game Pass might inspire new players to take up the game in hopes of becoming a millionaire in StarCraft.

Even though these players might not ultimately become millionaires in the gaming world, devoted Starcraft enthusiasts could still have reasons to look forward to something fresh. There are whispers that Blizzard is planning a comeback for the franchise, and there’s even speculation that they may have accidentally confirmed a new Starcraft game. However, the potential title might deviate from the series’ traditional real-time strategy foundation.

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2024-12-06 01:23