The numbers related to Counter-Strike:Global Offensive keep impressing people more and more every week. The growth of the audience, number of tournaments, cash prizes, or even the amount of players indicates how healthy the FPS from Valve is at the current moment. However, the category that has experienced the greatest increase is the income of the organisations based on the sales of stickers in their own image during the major tournaments.

A few months ago, we estimated the value for the sixteen organisations who had a team taking part in the EMS One Katowice. The eight teams classified as “Legendary”, which means they received a direct invitation to the competition, earned $17,500 each. A pretty big acquisition already. Yet, it’s nothing compared to the earnings from the stickers of the ESL One Cologne that took place last August.

Indeed, according to several sources of information close to the different teams, the “Legendary” teams who took part in the ESL One Cologne earned between $100,000 and $120,000 each. Regarding the “Challengers” team, their earning were about $50,000 each. Valve recommending a single bank account to receive the money, it’s most of the time the organisations who receive the money before redistributing, partially, fully or not at all to their players. The share, however large or small, that Valve earned is unaccounted for.

The Pick’Em Challenge, the goose that laid the golden egg for Valve and the teams ?

A raise of more than 500% that can be explained in three different ways. First, the number of players (which means potential buyers) drastically increased between the two events. Secondly, some consumers bought more stickers to resell them afterward at a higher price, which further increased sales. Last, but not least, the betting system that was added to the game by the developers themselves right before the ESL One Cologne, which apparently worked very good.

Such earnings obviously make the negotiations between players and organisations more difficult, but it also adds greater stakes to the major events, considering that the qualifications for the quarter finals means a direct invitation to the next major event. Those stickers’ earnings are creating an “unofficial” cash prize that henceforth exceeds the official cash prize blocked at $250,000 since the 2013 DreamHack Winter, first competition to be supported by Valve and considered as major.

These earnings could increase even more for DreamHack Winter 2014, that is scheduled to happen at the end of November. Especially since, according to our information, signature-stickers from players should also give them access to an income that is not affiliated with the organisation this time.

The issue of online qualifications for tournaments with such a high amount of money at stake is more relevant than ever. Also, given that Valve should see an improvement in profits, will this push them to increase the official prize pool of future tournaments?