Natus Vincere revealed some very interesting facts about how much teams made from the canceled Rio Major.
Natus Vincere recently released a look back at 2021 which revealed some interesting stats about how much teams made from the canceled Rio Major sticker sales.
Why was the Rio Major canceled?
As a refresher, Valve offered the RMR sticker capsule, featuring teams that were headed to the Rio Major, for three months. This was due in part because the Major was delayed so many times and then canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even though Valve takes 50% of all sticker sales, it seems that the sales were still substantial, with Na'vi's CEO claiming that it's north of 7 figures, meaning at least $1 million for their cut.
“Our league share is pretty high this year, and we hit big numbers in prize money as well as sticker earnings,” Na'vi CEO Yevhen Zolotarov said in the video. “Since there were no Majors for two years, Valve released the Rio stickers that were on sale for about three months, instead of one like always, and it's a substantial amount."
"Clubs share most of [the sticker earnings] with players, but it's still 7 figures, which is a big income for both."
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100 Thieves: Big winner, no roster
This of course means that other teams made that much as well. Fans have pointed out that 100 Thieves, who did not even have a CS:GO team anymore at the time, also pulled in $1 million in revenue at least.
Dexerto's Adam Fitch confirmed that this amount was in USD.
Legends teams heading into the Rio Major included Ninjas in Pyjamas, Na'vi, Furia, Vitality, Heroic, and 100 Thieves. The capsule contained a single paper, foil or gold 2020 RMR participant sticker. These stickers can be applied to any weapon you own and can be scraped to look more worn.
Na'vi has had an incredible year, flawlessly winning the first CS:GO Major in over two years, and bringing home several awards at both esports awards and game awards.
