EpikWhale net worth: How much money has Shane “EpikWhale” Cotton made in his esports career?

Shane “EpikWhale” Cotton has always been fiercely competitive. He spent months mastering the Rubik’s Cube after finding it difficult to solve.

The American applied this focus to become one of the world’s most successful gamers and a millionaire by the time he was 16.

But how does he spend his fortune? What have been the highlights of his professional Fortnite career, and does he have other interests?

Esports Insider reveals how EpikWhale has amassed his overall net wealth, including his tournament winnings and other income sources.

His real name is Shane Cotton. He’s a 23-year-old professional gamer who became a millionaire after coming third in the 2019 Fortnite Solo World Cup.

He has earned $1.85 million from 138 tournaments and is currently an independent, having left FaZe Clan at the end of December 2025.

We based our estimates of EpikWhale’s net worth on his career as a professional Fortnite player, in which he has earned $1.85 million, according to Esports Earnings.

However, he has earned more money from salaries, streaming revenues, and other business interests, so we’ll examine each in turn.

Here are the various revenue streams that contribute to EpikWhale’s overall net worth.

The bulk of his net worth comes from the $1.85 million earnings from 138 Fortnite tournaments since 2019. 

His biggest payday came right at the start of his career when he earned $1.2 million from placing third in the 2019 Fortnite Solo World Cup that was held in New York.

He also earned $125,000 at the 2022 Gamers8 tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As of January 2026, he’s won 31 events, been runner-up 18 times, and placed third on 17 occasions.

EpikWhale has played for several teams during his career, most recently FaZe Clan, so it’s likely that he was paid a decent salary.

While the terms of these contracts are rarely disclosed, top esports players can earn up to $187,200 per year, according to a report from the Influencer Marketing Hub. 

According to Streamscharts, his all-time Twitch viewer record was 40,543 on August 12, 2019. However, it’s unknown how many paid subscribers follow his account.

EpikWhale also has a YouTube channel with 229,000 subscribers. The amounts earned will depend on the arrangements with both platforms.

EpikWhale doesn’t appear to have prominent sponsors, although it’s possible that he may have benefited from endorsements signed by his various teams over the years.

For example, he played for NRG at a time when it was partnered with organisations such as Nighthawk Pro Gaming, Sneak, Sennheiser, Cal Esports and Qualcomm. 

Separately, he posted a photo on Instagram last year wearing a t-shirt bearing the slogan: ‘Seed oils suck’ that appears to be from Talor Organic, a delivery kitchen in Venice, California.

He runs The Mousepad Company, a business that was set up with his brother, Trevor, in December 2019. According to the company’s website, the original idea was triggered by EpikWhale’s success on the professional gaming scene.

It stated: “After my brother EpikWhale had established himself as a top Fortnite player, I started thinking about how we can team up to bring a superior product to the market that had design and function and provided a legitimate advantage.”

The brothers have since collaborated with a variety of artists to produce mats and also sell other items, including posters, storage crates, and blankets.

When he burst onto the professional gaming scene in 2019, he was living in Redondo Beach, California, with his parents and brother, Trevor.

“I’m a very competitive person,” he told Fortnite in 2019. “When I set my mind on something, I just go full force on that.”

His brother, Trevor, reinforced this assessment. “He definitely has a problem-solving, strategic mind. I see it when he plays. He’s three moves ahead of everyone else.”

Even as a youngster, his competitive spirit was there for all to see. His approach to the Rubik’s Cube puzzle was a prime example.

“I saw it laying around the house, picked it up and realised I couldn’t solve it, so I spent months learning it,” he recalled. 

He has since used this quiet determination in his gaming career. 

“The similarities between Fortnite and the Rubik’s Cube are just problem-solving and getting focused,” he explained. “I try to break the game down to a science and solve it faster and faster…I’m a focused player, calculated, consistent.”

EpikWhale’s career-defining moment came when he stunned the world by placing third in the 2019 Fortnite Solo World Cup. It’s the only time this event has been held.

He’d initially travelled to New York with his father for the event, with other members of his family following to give him their support. To place in the top three came as a huge surprise.

In an interview on Fortnite’s YouTube channel, he said: “I was just living a normal life; playing games with my friends and going to school. And now all of this has happened, and it’s crazy.”

In the same documentary, his Dad commented: “People always underestimate Epik because he’s quiet. He’s never been the biggest or fastest, but underneath all of that lurks a very, very strong competitor.”

While EpikWhale has spent periods as an independent gamer, he has also played under the banner of some prominent teams.

For example, he was with NRG between 2019 and 2022, before representing TSM, where he earned $12,925 from 16 tournaments. 

He then moved to FaZe Clan in the summer of 2023 before announcing in December 2025 that his time with the team had come to an end.

Unsurprisingly, EpikWhale’s most lucrative year was 2019, due to his Fortnite Solo World Cup success, but he also made six figures in both 2021 and 2022.