The trajectory that Siege esports has right now is very, very concerning. About 90% of roster moves this transfer window happened because orgs wanted to save money or couldn’t pay their players. We are now living in a world where about half of NA/EU players compete for 2.5k or less, with even partner teams paying under 1.5k. Affiliate teams don’t even get close, and I don’t even want to start about APAC… The only region that is “growing” money-wise is BR from what I’ve heard. China is also NOT the savior - the orgs there are very hesitant to spend money. But this is a huge problem. You can maybe commit to doing esports for 1–1.5k a month (after taxes) when you are 18–20, but it’s just not a smart choice when you get older and want an adult lifestyle. In Germany, a 35h/week minimum wage job will get you ~1.4k a month after taxes… so it’s crazy that esports pays less for double the work right now. Yes, we all love to compete and it’s our goal to make it to the top, but you can’t get professional players and environments for this money. I don’t know what the solution is - more oil money, allowing gambling sponsors, etc. - but it’s very sad to see, and I bet we will see more and more pros retiring after their contracts run out.
