General manager MIBR Tomi Lurppis Covanen told on Twitter how the output of Valorant will affect eSports in CS: GO. According to him, the game Riot Games could become a catalyst that will launch the reform of the entire ecosystem of the professional scene CS: GO. He wrote about this on Twitter.
Covanen does not believe that Valorant should be taken as the “killer” of CS: GO or Overwatch. Most likely, the shooter Riot Games will not take away the audience from competitors, but can have an impact on them from a business point of view. According to him, now the ecosystem in CS: GO is formed in such a way that the top teams have a great advantage over the teams of Tier-2 and Tier-3 scenes, and the difference between salaries and potential prize pools is huge.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the global economy is not in the best condition right now, making it harder for clubs to find sponsors. Top teams with slots in the ESL Pro League or FLASHPOINT can still sign good partners, but for teams of tier-2 and tier-3 levels this is very difficult.
“If there is less investment, then the teams of the tier-2 and tier-3 level will be the first to suffer. Organizations with better capitalization and strong sponsor support can stay afloat, but what about the rest? <…> Top clubs are able to contain rosters for both games (CS: GO and Valorant), but everyone else will be faced with a choice. This is where Valorant can have the greatest impact on the CS: GO scene. ”
Covanen believes that Valorant’s release will force many Tier-2 and Tier-3 teams to choose between weak prospects in CS: GO and the potential opportunity to interest major investors in the success of Valorant. Theoretically, the outflow of such teams from CS: GO leagues can lead to a decrease in the number of viewers and a decrease in views, and this will directly affect the salaries and distribution of prize money in the tier-1 teams.
The likelihood of such an outcome, according to lurppis, is quite high. According to him, over the past few years, Riot Games has built around League of Legends one of the most successful franchise systems with regional leagues, salaries and contracts. We can assume that Valorant developers will be able to apply this experience in their game, which will attract the attention of top clubs to the shooter.
“Organizations with top League of Legends rosters will almost certainly seize the opportunity in the new discipline. This is also a great opportunity for small organizations to break into the top. If they manage to sign one of the best Valorant teams now, then most likely they will be among the leaders of the discipline when it begins to advance in e-sports. ”
As for the prospects for CS: GO, according to Covanen, the modern ecosystem of the game needs a complete reboot. Otherwise, it will be more profitable for many clubs to switch to a discipline with a clearer financial model, which the developer directly supports.
