The owner of Aurora Gaming, Valery "L3rich" Kharitov, publicly criticized the revenue distribution model from stickers at IEM Cologne Major 2026.
Valery "L3rich" KharitovThis is the worst major in sticker sales by a huge margin, and the situation will definitely not improve.
According to him, the new system is fundamentally different from the previous one: earlier, all revenue from the sale of capsules and passes was evenly divided among all participating teams. Now, only 50% of the income goes to the general royalty fund, and the distribution is tied to tournament results. Kharitov believes that this sharply reduces the financial attractiveness of participating in majors, especially for second and third-tier organizations. In his forecast, clubs from North America and Asia will compete less frequently for slots in major tournaments.
Let us remind you that right now in Cologne, Stage 1 of the major is underway: following the second day, BetBoom and B8 have already advanced to Stage 2.
