SVG harshly spoke out about tier-1 Dota 2 team salaries

Avery “SVG” Silverman stated that he does not understand why tier-1 Dota 2 players are being paid salaries from $10,000 to $30,000, because it does not pay off and often leads organizations to bankruptcy.

The former esports player talked about this during a podcast.

“I don’t understand why they pay players this much. It’s not like I want salaries to go down, I’m not advocating for that, I just don’t get it. You enter the scene, pay players 10, 20, 30 thousand dollars for playing one LAN a year, and then you’re like: ‘Oh my God! This isn’t profitable!’ Then don’t pay that much.

And you know what? Another dumb idiot will pay that much and go bankrupt in a year. Then you can just take his players for way cheaper afterwards. That’s how it works. You can’t constantly overpay because it’s pointless. Eventually you’ll say: ‘It’s not profitable!’ Then make it profitable. Start paying these guys less because they’re not doing anything. There are no LAN tournaments, you get nothing out of it. I don’t understand. There’s no point.”

According to him, there are not many organizations left on the Dota 2 pro scene, and even current tournaments are unable to financially support them properly. He noted that he does not want players to earn less, but emphasized that this business model often leads to roster disbands and organizations shutting down.

He stressed that it would be better to balance salaries in a way where clubs remain financially sustainable, while players can still compete and organizations are able to make profit.