In the world of professional gaming, reaching the top no longer depends on talent alone. You need a huge personality to attract the publicity needed to turbocharge your career.

That’s never been a problem for Tyler Blevins, otherwise known as Ninja. The flamboyant American’s boundless energy and multi-coloured hair made him a smash hit.

But it was playing Fortnite on Twitch in 2018 alongside rappers Drake, Travis Scott, and (at the time) Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster that catapulted him into superstar status.

In our analysis of Ninja’s net worth, we look at the popular gamer’s background, personal life, and the various income streams and business interests he enjoys.

Ninja, whose real name is Richard Tyler Blevins, is a 34-year-old American who is particularly well-known for playing Fortnite.

While he’s been associated with outfits such as Team Liquid and Renegades during his 16-year career, he has mostly forged his reputation as an independent streamer.

In fact, he was one of the first to build a truly multi-platform presence and has 23.7 million followers on YouTube, 19.2 million on Twitch, 12.1 million on Instagram, and 11.1 million on TikTok.

His charisma led to him being regularly interviewed by newspapers and mainstream TV channels. He has also written a book on gaming and had a cameo in a Hollywood movie.

It’s believed Ninja has amassed a fortune of around $50 million from various gaming-related activities, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

At his peak on Twitch, it’s believed that Ninja was earning around $500,000-a-month before switching to Microsoft’s Mixer in 2019. In his best months that figure apparently doubled.

It’s also thought he made around $40 million from a combination of his original contract and the buyout that released him from his exclusivity agreement.

Ninja is also a successful competitor, winning $285,323.29 from 55 tournaments, according to Esportsearnings. His most successful year was 2019, in which he took home $87,716.67.

Ninja has a number of income sources. These include subscriptions from streaming sites, sponsorships and other business agreements. Sponsorship deals have provided lucrative income. He has previously struck deals with household names such as Red Bull, Adidas Originals, Uber Eats and Postmates.

Current agreements are thought to include G FUEL, a sugar-free, performance energy drink, and La Roche-Posay, a dermocosmetic brand.

Even though the figures are less than at his peak seven years ago, Ninja still earns a decent amount from live streaming.

He has more than 2,000 subscribers on Twitch, paying $8 per month. This means monthly earnings of around $16,000. Influtrend estimates he earns a further $8,000 per month from YouTube.

It’s important to diversify your income stream, and that’s exactly what Ninja has achieved over the last few years.

Firstly, there’s his merchandise range. This includes hoodies on sale for $65, football jerseys for $50, tracksuit bottoms for $45 and hats for $7.

He has also written a book full of tips aimed at those wanting to follow in his footsteps. Ninja Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming was published back in 2019.

In early 2023, Ninja was appointed Chief Innovation Officer at GameSquare Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed platform whose largest investors are Jerry Jones, who owns the Dallas Cowboys, and the Goff family.

He was recruited to lead emerging growth opportunities. This includes Ninja Labs, an incubator to develop concepts and products focused on connecting with youth culture.

At the time, Justin Kenna, GameSquare’s chief executive officer, declared: “Ninja is a once in a generation talent whose reputation transcends gaming.”

According to Forbes, Ninja was given one million stock options and a further one million restricted stock units in the company.

Ninja is a co-founder of Nutcase, which advertises itself as a ‘premium hydration milk’ along with the tagline: Let’s make milk dope again.

The venture featured on series three of Going Public, an interactive show that follows businesses on their capital-raising journeys.

While it’s obviously early days, it’s clear that Ninja feels strongly about the brand. In a quote published on the website, he states: “I have a massive sweet tooth and nutcase satisfied my sweet fix in seconds. So delicious & nutritious. I finally found a drink I feel really good about promoting to my fans.”

Ninja was born on June 5, 1991, to parents Chuck and Cynthia Blevins and grew up in Grayslake, Illinois. 

His father introduced him to video games when he was about 10 years old, and he was soon playing alongside his brothers, Jonathan and Chris. It soon became clear that he had a gift for playing, as well as the passion and commitment required to turn it into more than just a hobby.

His first competition was a Halo 3 event in Orlando in 2009, while a couple of years later he was travelling to tournaments and earning around $100-a-day streaming, according to CNBC.

With subscriptions and sponsors growing all the time, Ninja moved on to playing H1Z1 before becoming a breakout star of Fortnite from 2017.

It’s fair to say that March 14, 2018, was a life-changing date for Ninja.

This was when he played Fortnite alongside rappers Drake and Travis Scott, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

This was the night when a Twitch record was set for a single individual stream as more than 600,000 concurrent viewers tuned in to watch the game. This was six times higher than he had been getting.

A major upside of the publicity generated that evening was an increased demand for him to appear on television shows and give interviews to major national publications.

It also led to him having a cameo in Free Guy, the 2021 Ryan Reynolds movie in which he plays himself, alongside other streamers. His voice was also in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.

Other highlights include appearing on Celebrity Family Feud and The Masked Singer, as well as starring in A Gamer’s Life (2016) as himself.

Ninja married Jessica in 2017, and the loved-up couple regularly keep their social media followers updated with their lifestyle and Christian faith.

For seven years, until 2022, Jessica was Ninja’s manager. Her role initially focused on getting him sponsors, but soon expanded into various directions.

She explained in an Instagram post that she’d put together ‘Team Ninja’, which contained financial advisers, PR representatives, YouTube editors and other key personnel.

While the couple don’t have any children, Jessica has declared herself a “Christian, wife, and dog mum”. The pair have also referenced their faith in posts and streams this year.

It’s believed that Ninja and Jessica used to live in the Chicago suburbs but relocated to Florida a few years ago. They also enjoy travelling, with the most recent being a trip to Hawaii.

Ninja and his wife, Jessica, have donated many thousands of dollars to a string of charities over the years, including giving away prize money.

The causes they donate to are understood to include:

Ninja and his brother, Jonathan, known in gaming circles as BeardedBlevins, also raised $93,125 for the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in September 2024.

The brothers played Fortnite live from Michigan Stadium for more than five hours, attracting thousands of viewers and 650 donations.

So, is Ninja rich in comparison to other esports big hitters? While it’s difficult to pinpoint wealth accurately, most estimates make good reading for Ninja.

He is regarded as being one of the most financially successful streamers and content creators, along with the likes of PewDiePie and XQc.

There’s no denying that Ninja remains one of the biggest names in gaming history – and one of the main reasons for the huge success of Fortnite over the years.

He is proof that talent, charisma, energy and drive can take anyone to the top in the fiercely competitive world of professional gaming.

While the income generated from streaming is lower than at its peak, Ninja has bolstered this income with a portfolio of business interests.