M80 CEO Marco on sticker changes: "It could cause teams to refocus on other events besides the Majors"

This Major's stickers have been a source for controversy for both fans and organizations as the high prices of certain stickers have seemingly priced out many fans that would've bought capsules, while organizations have alleged record-low sticker revenue due to Valve's changes.

Amidst this ongoing discussion about the future of sticker revenue, CS2 content creator Thour asked M80 co-founder and CEO Marco Mereu for his thoughts on the changes, with Mereu responding fairly negatively to Valve's changes.

Mereu told Thour that he believes it will push organizations to place further emphasis on winning the Major rather than just qualifying while also potentially forcing teams to prioritize events outside of the Major, saying:

"It could cause teams to refocus on other events besides the Majors as they seek revenue generating opportunities."

Mereu's comments come as the revenue share model for stickers have been changed to give teams and players a fixed percentage based on where they finish at the Major. For example, last-place teams Gaimin Gladiators and SINNERS will only receive 0.72% of sticker sales (with a measly 0.36% going directly to the organization). With reports of sticker sales being down, this amount is far lower than what organizations expected.

With organizations already struggling to break even, Mereu speculates that teams may change tact and prioritize other events, perhaps ESL events with their Annual Club Incentive and PGL's offerings with their 50% prizepool split for organizations.

While it is unlikely that teams will ever stop caring about the Major, Mereu's comments highlight the fact that sticker revenue was a huge part of organization's CS2 and CS:GO business strategies, and with that changing we may see teams reassess their presence in the ecosystem should Valve keep this system in place.