Park ‘Ruler’ Jae-hyuk has enjoyed one of his most financially successful years in competitive gaming since re-signing for the Gen.G Esports team.

The 26-year-old League of Legends player has earned $220,000 after winning the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational and Esports World Cup.

And supporters are hoping for further victories as the South Korean superstar has a contract with the team, which runs until 2027.

In our analysis of Ruler’s net worth, we explore his early life, his successful esports career, the problems he’s encountered, and how he makes his money.

Ruler’s real name is Park Jae-hyuk. He is an established South Korean gamer who is afforded veteran status within League of Legends.

The experienced 26-year-old has played for different teams since starting his career back in 2016, including Samsung Galaxy and JD Gaming.

He was also called up to represent the South Korean national team in the Asian Games of both 2018 and 2023

Our estimate of Ruler’s net worth is based on the money he’s earned from competitive esports over the past decade.

He has so far made $1.04 million in prize winnings, according to figures compiled by Esports Earnings up to October 22, 2025.

The League of Legends player has walked away with a six-figure income in four out of 10 years, with the most lucrative being 2017 when he earned $318,301.

This year has been his second most successful season, earning $220,000, while he also made $150,000 in 2023 and $140,000 in 2016.

It’s fair to assume that the bulk of Ruler’s annual income, in most years at least, comes from the esports tournament earnings.

Unfortunately, the salaries earned by players in competitive esports teams aren’t publicly disclosed and can obviously vary enormously.

According to a 2023 report in the Asia Business Daily, they can range from several hundred million to several billion South Korean Won.

This would be from roughly US$70,000 (£50,000) to more than $2 million, depending on their position in the team and terms of their contract.

Separately, a report from the Influencer Marketing Hub suggests that top esports players can earn up to $187,200 per year.

Ruler’s not believed to have any business ventures or notable investments in place. If he does, then there’s no publicly available information about them.

Not much is known about Ruler’s early life in South Korea, although he has spoken about the support provided by his family.

In a 2019 ESPN interview, he said: 

He also revealed that his folks often brought food for him and his teammates before matches. 

Ruler made his start in professional League of Legends by joining Stardust, under the name Bung, to compete in the Challengers Korea series, according to Liquipedia.

He was then picked up by Samsung Galaxy and went into the LCK. It was around this time that he changed his gamertag to Ruler.

Success came pretty quickly as he was part of the team that won the 2017 World Championship, which was held in Beijing, China. 

He was then part of Gen.G Esports for five years until switching to JD Gaming in 2023. In late November 2024, Gen.G announced on X that Ruler was returning to the team.

In an interview broadcast on YouTube earlier this year, Ruler admitted that he’d missed Gen.G and that the team felt like home.

He was also enjoying being closer to family. “I really wanted to eat home-cooked meals,” he said. “Of course, I had my mom’s home cooking.”

On a serious note, Ruler was also very clear about his ambition for the next three years. “I really want to win the ‘Worlds’ and I want to enjoy playing the game,” he added.

In a separate interview, he revealed how he would celebrate such a victory. 

“I’ll kiss the cup,” he said. “I haven’t done that in a long time – I haven’t seen the Worlds trophy in many years.”

Very little is known about Ruler’s lifestyle or spending habits, as he doesn’t seem to be very active on his social media accounts, such as Instagram.

However, that YouTube interview gave an insight into his approach and how he is still searching for ways to improve, even after playing at such a high level for a decade.

He also reflected on how his life could have turned out very differently if his talent hadn’t taken him to the top of esports, admitting he’d probably have taken a regular office job.

The interview, which featured questions from fans, also touched on his worst habits. “I bit my nails a lot,” he admitted. “I really want to stop doing that.”

While it doesn’t appear that Ruler has any individual endorsements, he’s likely to benefit from agreements made between major firms and his team, Gen.G.

In December 2023, it was announced that the team had expanded its partnership with Crocs, the footwear brand. 

Gen.G has also partnered with NASCAR, the US motorsport organisation, and signed a multi-year deal with SPORTFIVE, the marketing agency.

Agreements have also been made with the likes of electronics giant LG, sporting brand Puma, and Logitech, the advanced gaming supplier.

Ruler isn’t known to support any particular charities. However, his current esports team, Gen.G, has supported various causes over the years.

In 2021, it was announced that the team and the University of Kentucky were joining forces for a fundraiser to support the Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

It has also pledged $100,000 per year for the next decade to the same university for ‘The Gen.G Foundation Scholarship’.

This supports diverse students enrolled in a US university or college who are interested in majoring in gaming, esports, entrepreneurship, journalism, or content creation.

The team has also celebrated International Women’s Month while raising money for the 1,000 Dreams Fund and Do Good Fund: Ukraine Aid.

Ruler’s $1.04 million total career earnings put him at number 193 in the all-time list of highest-earning esports stars.

His millionaire status pales in comparison to Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, who is in the top spot after winning almost $7.2 million from playing Dota 2 tournaments.

However, Ruler is one of only six South Korean gamers to have made more than $1 million, although he is behind the $1.9 million of the country’s top earner, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.

He is also the second most financially successful player in League of Legends, again trailing only fellow countryman, Faker.

No one can deny that Park Jae-hyuk, better known as Ruler, has enjoyed success playing League of Legends over the past decade.

In fact, he is the second most financially successful player in the game’s history with career earnings of more than $1 million.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that he continues to play at the highest level, past the point where many esports stars retire or transition into coaching.

His current contract with the Gen.G Esports team runs until 2017, and it’s hoped he can continue in his rich vein of form that’s seen him already earn more than $200,000 in 2025.