The IEM Cologne Main is about to be one of many greatest Counter-Strike 2 occasions of the 12 months. Beginning on June 2nd, it can happen on the LANXESS Area in Germany and have a $1.25 million prize pool.
This places it within the high 10 Counter-Strike 2 tournaments by prize pool. However there could also be an even bigger supply of earnings for taking part groups.
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Esports Must Copy IEM Cologne Main’s Sticker Income-Sharing System
IEM Cologne is a large match spanning three weeks. Stage 1 runs from June 2nd to June fifth, with the eight qualifying groups advancing to Stage 2. They be part of eight instantly seeded groups in two teams of eight, competing from June sixth to June ninth. Stage 3 turns to best-of-three matches, with the highest eight groups advancing to a single-elimination bracket.
These eight groups will be part of instantly seeded groups: Workforce Vitality, FURIA, Natus Vincere, FURIA, Falcons, MOUZ, Aurora, The MongolZ, and PARIVISION.
The staff that locations first will get $500,000 of the prize pool. The runner-up staff will get $170,000. Third and fourth-place groups get $80,000. Groups that place fifth via eighth get $45,000.
Nonetheless, that’s not the one means groups earn cash at IEM Cologne. The occasion will run Valve’s new sticker revenue-sharing system. Sticker capsules will likely be bought over the match’s three weeks, permitting gamers to assist their favourite groups in-game.
StarLadder Main Berlin noticed $11 million in sticker gross sales income in 2019, proving it to be a profitable endeavor for qualifying groups. PGL Stockholm and Antwerp collected $70 million mixed. Final 12 months’s BLAST.television Paris Main allegedly made $110 million, not even together with Vitality’s Champions capsule. Given how sticker gross sales income was break up, every Contenders staff obtained $4.5 million plus $250,000 per participant, Legends earned $3.5 million per staff and $200,000 per participant, and Challengers acquired $2.6 million per staff and $200,000 per participant.
For the IEM Cologne Main, the sticker income mannequin has some huge modifications. Event organizers now retain 5% of the 50% pool, beforehand reserved for organizations. The remaining 45% is shared amongst groups, break up primarily based on their Valve Regional Standings positions. The very best-ranked staff will get 2.85%.
This nonetheless permits lower-ranked groups to see a good amount of cash. Why is that vital? Since you want these newer and smaller groups to stay energetic within the esports scene. Most of the time, groups that aren’t thought-about the largest on this planet don’t earn sufficient prize or sponsorship cash to thrive, eradicating many groups from the ecosystem.
This has been an enormous subject of dialogue within the esports trade, with FlyQuest even promising to donate to underrepresented groups and esports scenes that want funding earlier this 12 months. Different scenes have felt the stress, with the excessive salaries of Dota 2’s finest gamers draining the scene dry.
Counter-Strike has usually been revered for its assist of smaller groups and Tier 2 tournaments. Having cash for taking part groups past the prize pool encourages groups to spend money on their gamers and evokes these gamers to push themselves to qualify. You’ll get all-around higher tournaments and much more gifted groups within the combine.
As an alternative of franchise leagues that cater to groups that paid to take part and go away others out of the match and with out assist, Counter-Strike’s esports scene has the mentality that anybody needs to be allowed to qualify for a serious in the event that they’re adequate.
Stated one fan on Reddit: “The longevity of the Tier 2-3 scene is primarily pushed by the decentralized match circuit and the excessive quantity of liquidity from pores and skin markets. Not like franchised leagues, this open ecosystem permits smaller orgs to take care of operations via area of interest sponsorships and regional betting partnerships.”
That is positively one thing the esports scene wants proper now because the hype begins to die down and the cash fizzles out.
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