Valve has unveiled a new requirement for players who want to see their autographs on stickers during the Perfect World Shanghai Major. Autographs must now be drawn in person at the venue, which is an important step after problems with past majors.
This is important because previous online submission attempts often failed to meet Valve's requirements, resulting in numerous rejections. This was especially true when players sent in complex artist-created drawings instead of simple signatures. The new procedure promises to eliminate these problems and speed up the release of stickers, and thus increase their commercial success.
Valve's past problems and motivation
The process of signing autographs online has become a real headache for players and organizers. Players, trying to stand out, ordered complex images, which went against Valve's rules requiring simplicity and minimal time to create an autograph. This led to the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen stickers not appearing until after the first round of the tournament, which likely affected sales.
At the same time, the success of the BLAST.tv Paris Major, where teams earned a record $110 million from stickers, showed that stickers can generate huge revenues. However, in order to do so, it's important to meet all deadlines and requirements. Valve's new approach aims to avoid such failures and ensure stickers are released on time.
What will change at Shanghai Major?
The new procedure requires players to autograph in person at the RMR qualifiers, which will be held in Shanghai from Nov. 11-24. All 56 teams participating in the three regional qualifiers will be required to do so. However, only the 24 teams that qualify for the Major will see their stickers on sale.
Valve has also tightened the requirements for the autographs themselves: they must be handwritten, without complex elements and within seconds. The goal is to make them just as if the player were signing on a fan's mouse pad.
Such a solution will avoid delays and improve sticker sales, as late release, as has been the case in previous tournaments, negatively affects revenue. Players will also be able to focus on the tournament knowing that their signatures will definitely be accepted and appear in the game.
Importance of the change and its impact
The innovation is important for both players and Valve. It will not only simplify the process, but also minimize the risks associated with delays, which will ultimately improve the financial results of tournaments.
Source: GitHub
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