While both the partnered VALORANT teams and Riot Games are looking for long-term growth within the international VCT leagues, a number of teams are already looking to ensure that growth by scaling back player salaries and opting for more sustainability as early as next season.
Several organizations competing in the VCT Americas league next year are expected to reduce spending and player salaries for the 2024 season, according to a report by George Geddes for win.gg. Geddes reports that both 100 Thieves and Cloud9, who missed Master Tokyo and Champions, will reduce player salaries next season, with other organizations to “likely follow suit.”
The report says that North American player salaries prior to the start of the partnership era were “upwards of $20,000 to $30,000 per month.” And while there have been no official numbers made public, many speculate that some salaries for players this season are even higher. In an interview, Evil Geniuses coach Christine “potter” Chi said that C9 was at one point paying superstar Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker around $60,000 a month. Prior to the start of the LCQ, Giants’ Emir “rhyme” Muminovic claimed that players in North America made “five times” more than players in EMEA.
Starting next year, teams like 100T and C9 could potentially offer players the league minimum salary, which is currently $50,000 per year for Americas. Geddes reports that teams “will continue to provide external necessities such as housing” in an attempt to make up for lowered salaries. A recent study from March said that a single person living in Los Angeles would need to make $76,710 after taxes to live comfortably.
Sustainability and the process of reducing costs have been two dominant points of discussion in esports over the past year or so. VALORANT has been right at the forefront of that discussion, in particular regarding its tier-two scene. Even the biggest teams in tier one are showing concerns, with Sentinels recently revealing it needs to secure more funding to stay afloat long-term.
Organizations in the tier-one VCT ecosystem are banking on more sponsorship opportunities and the eventual release of team-branded in-game items to help ease the costs of operating a team.
