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Esports teams cannot count on crypto sponsors to return—or assume crypto alone explains their financial pressure. The more durable response is to protect cash, test the economics of every roster and league commitment, and build revenue tied to audiences and intellectual property. Those options vary sharply by game, publisher, region, and team; no single revenue mix works for everyone.
Why losing a sponsor can expose a bigger problem
A sponsor gap is dangerous when it lands on top of a cost base built for easier fundraising or revenue assumptions that never became reliable. In its 2024 League of Legends strategy update, Riot Games said that, over time, access to capital became limited, revenue growth did not catch up to cost growth, and team cash reserves dried up. That is Riot’s description of pressures in its own ecosystem, not a finding about every esports organization. Riot’s explanation of its 2024 strategy changes also describes an earlier partnership model that relied heavily on sponsorship and, to a lesser extent, media rights.
This distinction matters: replacing one sponsor does not fix a team whose recurring player, staff, travel, or league costs exceed dependable income. Nor is there a reliable current sector-wide figure in the cited sources for the share of esports sponsorship supplied by crypto companies. The evidence supports treating sponsor loss as one risk among several, not calling crypto the sole cause of a downturn.
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Depending on the organization and its rights, revenue can include sponsorships, publisher or league payments, shares of digital-content sales, media rights, merchandise, events, talent services, and content or creator activity. Prize winnings may contribute, but they are uncertain and should not be treated like contracted recurring income in a cash plan.
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The mix is not interchangeable. A publisher controls key parts of many esports ecosystems, including league structures, participation rules, calendars, and—in some cases—the terms for revenue sharing. Sponsorship revenue can also be concentrated in a few relationships or categories. A team that depends on one publisher payment or one large sponsor may remain vulnerable even if it adds a small new revenue stream.
Publisher revenue-sharing models are specific, not universal
For its LCK, LCS, and LEC teams, Riot described a 2024 move toward fixed stipends combined with revenue sharing from digital-content sales. Riot said this shifted the model away from sponsorship sales as the primary revenue source and toward digital sales, which it viewed as more resilient and with a higher ceiling. Those are Riot’s stated reasons for its League of Legends model; they do not establish a general entitlement for teams in other titles or regions. The league-specific policy explanation is the relevant reference for that example.
Company disclosures show why examples must stay in context
Recent company disclosures illustrate different outcomes, but they are not an industry benchmark and their figures cover different scopes.
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| Organization and source | Period and scope | Reported result | What the disclosure attributes it to |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIP Group, 2025 Form 20-F filed in 2026 | Esports team operations; fiscal years 2024 and 2025 | Revenue was US$14.7 million in 2024 and US$11.8 million in 2025. Gross profit was US$2.5 million and US$0.8 million, respectively. | The filing attributes the revenue decline primarily to lower sponsorship and league revenue share. |
| Sentinels, 2026 investor disclosure | Organization-wide revenue; calendar years 2024 and 2025, as reported by the organization | Revenue was US$5.79 million in 2024 and US$6.44 million in 2025, an 11% increase. | The organization cites near-doubled sponsorship revenue and a higher share of publisher digital goods among the drivers. |
The first example shows that a diversified company can still report weaker team-operation results; NIP Group’s wider activities do not guarantee that esports operations will be profitable. The second shows one team reporting growth tied to its own commercial mix. Neither establishes what another team should expect.
What can replace crypto sponsorship?
There is no like-for-like substitute guaranteed to fill a sponsor’s contribution. A stronger plan usually combines several sources matched to the organization’s audience, rights, skills, and cash needs.
Audience-linked content and creator partnerships
Content can create direct commercial opportunities and deepen fan engagement, but it takes production capacity and consistent audience interest. PwC’s 2025 esports report discusses content creation as a path to direct revenue and engagement while describing a broader shift from investment-led growth toward profitability. That is industry analysis, not evidence that content reliably pays for every team. PwC’s 2025 report provides that strategic context.
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Teams considering regular video, streams, or creator collaborations should estimate the labor and distribution costs alongside plausible revenue. Audience size alone is not a margin calculation: production time, rights, platform terms, and sponsor commitments can determine whether a format contributes cash or consumes it.
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Digital goods, merchandise, and events
Digital goods can be attractive where a publisher offers teams a defined share and the organization can reach engaged fans. Riot’s League of Legends approach is one concrete example, while Sentinels identified a higher share of publisher digital goods as one driver of its 2025 revenue growth. These cases show possible mechanisms, not a promise that every publisher offers the same arrangement.
Merchandise and events can also monetize an audience, but operators should account for inventory, fulfillment, venue or production costs, and timing of receipts. A large event or product launch can increase gross sales while worsening cash flow if expenses arrive well before customer or partner payments.
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Adjacent services and activities
Event production, talent management, or other entertainment services may use capabilities a team already has. NIP Group’s filings document activities beyond team operations, including talent management and event production, but its results also show why diversification should be judged by segment economics rather than by the number of business lines. Before expanding, identify the customers, necessary staff and working capital, and what happens if expected demand does not arrive.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A survival plan for team operators
1. Build a cash forecast around committed money
Separate signed, collectible revenue from hoped-for renewals, unsigned deals, prize winnings, and speculative token or asset income. Maintain a rolling cash forecast that tests sponsor-payment delays, missed qualification, and changes to publisher or league revenue. The point is to learn when a shortfall becomes urgent, not to assume the optimistic case will arrive on schedule.
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- Track expected receipt dates as well as contract totals.
- Run a downside case for delayed sponsor renewals and reduced league-related payments.
- Identify costs that can be reduced or deferred before cash becomes critical.
2. Reprice each roster, title, and league commitment
Assess the economics by title and league rather than letting prestige or prize potential stand in for dependable revenue. For each commitment, compare direct receipts and sellable sponsorship inventory with player and support costs, travel, and other operating expenses. Include publisher payments and audience reach, but mark uncertain or conditional revenue as such.
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Riot’s 2024 account describes efforts within its ecosystem to open additional sponsor categories and adjust policies and the calendar to create opportunities for teams and players. Those are publisher-specific measures, not controls an individual organization can assume it has.
3. Test new revenue on contribution margin and cash timing
For each proposed activity, calculate revenue less the direct costs needed to deliver it, then assess whether it improves cash availability or requires substantial spending first. Include labor, production, marketing, working capital, rights, and downside exposure. A new line of business is not a rescue plan merely because it diversifies the top line.
4. Check sponsor eligibility and exposure
In 2025, Riot announced betting sponsorship access for partner teams under a program and guidelines, while noting platform terms and local regulations. That may create an option for some teams, but it is not a universal replacement for crypto sponsorship and brings its own reputational and regulatory considerations. Check the current publisher rules and applicable jurisdiction before relying on it. Riot’s policy announcement describes its program context.
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- Cash certainty: Is payment contracted, recurring, and due on a known schedule, or contingent on results or sales?
- Contribution margin: What remains after the direct cost to deliver the activity?
- Time and investment: How much cash and staff time are required before revenue begins?
- Audience fit: Does the offer fit the fan base and the team’s rights?
- Concentration: Does it reduce dependence on a single sponsor or publisher, or create another dependency?
- Rights and eligibility: Are exclusivity terms, publisher policies, platform rules, and regional restrictions clear?
- Reputation and regulation: Could the category create material legal, brand, or community risks?
This comparison is a practical operator framework, not a standardized industry scorecard. A small, reliable revenue stream may be more useful than a larger opportunity with high costs, uncertain receipts, or restrictive rights.
What a realistic recovery looks like
PwC’s analysis points toward profitability rather than growth funded primarily by investment. For a team, that means proving that each part of the organization can support its cost and that audience-facing projects have a plausible path to contribution. It does not mean every team should become a media company, event promoter, or diversified conglomerate.
Start with the resources and rights already available: a cash forecast, a title-by-title view of economics, and a few audience or commercial experiments small enough to evaluate honestly. Keep successful experiments, change or stop those that do not cover their costs, and negotiate publisher arrangements where they are offered. The right plan depends on the team’s game, market, audience, and contractual position.
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