Tricked Esport CEO assesses the state of the transfer market

Morten Jensen, founder and CEO of the Danish esports organization Tricked Esport, assessed the current state of the transfer market in the CS:GO discipline. On his Twitter, the Danish functionary reflected on the problems of the scene, referring to the words of Daniel Vorborg, former coach and co-founder of the Copenhagen Flames club.

I think the history of Copenhagen Flames paints a clear picture of how bad the transfer market is in CS:GO right now. I firmly believe that we will return to the market performance that was before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but it will take some time. That is why now the education and sale of players cannot be the only source of income for the club.

For a long time, the market has been inflated because most contracts involve a buyout, which goes like this: salary + number of months left until the contract expires + multiplier x2. So when wages rise to the limit, the price of a player automatically follows them.

Many investors are still looking for a return on investment in esports, but so far only a few have found a sustainable business model. This has drastically reduced cash flow between organizations, which began to decline even before the coronavirus hit in 2020.

I think the market will self-regulate. Even though he's been in trouble for the past two years, I'm still positive about the industry's outlook. More and more tier-1 teams are investing in talent development. In the future, this area will receive increased attention, which is good for everyone.

But the value of the brand for the buyer should be the highest for the entire line, including places in the major. Selling players is great, but you get the most value when you sell the entire line. See how much our roster has stalled due to the sale of one key player (Lucky).

Recall that the day before, Vorborg indicated a specific amount for which the Danish esports club Copenhagen Flames was ready to part with his five — €160,000. In comparison, players like NiKo, dev1ce, m0NESY, coldzera and ropz are rumored to cost 3-5 times more than the entire Copenhagen Flames roster.

The current Tricked Esport CS:GO roster is as follows:

• kiR.
• kwezz.
• PR1mE.
• iceberg.
• Lucky.
• Winspai (coach).