VCT Champions 2025 might be NRG’s first global title, but it’s Ethan “Ethan” Arnold’s second time, making himself the first player to win two world titles. With Oct. 5’s grand victory adding to his list of achievements, the 25-year old is now at the top of the “total prize money earned” chart.
According to Liquipedia, Ethan has won a total of $516,224 in prize money so far, as of Oct. 6, 2025. He’s followed by Fnatic standouts Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov with $445,996 at second and Jake “Boaster” Howlett with $421,988 at third.
With this tournament earnings, the 25-year-old American pro has also become the first VALORANT player to cross the $500,000 mark.
As for organizations, NRG now holds the third-highest spot in terms of prize money earned, having won $1,415,375 in VALORANT to date. Fnatic comes first with a whopping $2,158,026, while Paper Rex takes the second spot with $1,879,351.
A pro VALORANT athlete since 2021, Ethan began his career with 100 Thieves and has had quite an eventful journey since. In 2022, he joined NRG for a brief stint before signing with Evil Geniuses for the 2023 partnership league.
Evil Geniuses went on to win VALORANT Champions in 2023, but the star roster disbanded soon after, leading Ethan back to NRG for the 2024 season. He stayed with NRG through 2025, and now, he’s secured his second global title.
Ethan is the only VALORANT player to hold two global championship victories. He didn’t win any other regional or international title, but two global titles are enough to justify the prize he’s bagged so far.
2025 was also the first year Ethan stepped into the IGL role, which is one of the hardest roles, if not the hardest, to carry in VALORANT esports. While he did have a lot of valuable experience to offer from his journey before, NRG technically had a rookie captain guide them through an undefeated VALORANT Champions run.
Brawk may have won the MVP award for his Odin plays, but NRG wouldn’t be here without Ethan’s near-perfect calls and round-winning moves.
