Félix “xQc” Lengyel, one of the most popular streamers in the world, announced his desire to create a Counter-Strike 2 team, but noted that the cost of doing so is too high. According to the Canadian, the cybersports market is overblown and its scale does not match the actual costs. “Operations cost 10 times what they should. I think it's excessive, especially for teams at this level,” the streamer said on his broadcast.
xQc's interest in starting his own team is fueled by his passion for cybersports and his desire to invest in the field. However, current market conditions, he believes, make creating and maintaining a team nearly impossible even for big players like him.
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Cybersports market - skyrocketing prices
xQc emphasized that the cost of building a team in CS2 can cost between $20 million and $30 million, making high-level participation affordable only for the biggest investors. He added that he doesn't mind losing a few million dollars, but such large sums on an ongoing basis prove prohibitive. This reflects the situation in the cybersports scene, where teams and organizations face high costs to participate and maintain their competitiveness.
Exaggerated figures and difficulties for new entrants
Against the backdrop of such large sums, xQc expressed frustration that mainstream esports, in his opinion, sets the barrier to entry too high. He cited League of Legends and Counter-Strike as examples, where he believes the costs of team operations far exceed the actual needs. Such statements highlight a problem faced not only by newcomers, but also by existing organizations. For example, Ukrainian team IKLA was forced to suspend its operations in early 2024 due to financial instability.
Conclusion
xQc's comment about the inflated cost of maintaining a team in CS2 highlights a problem that many organizations are experiencing. If current trends continue, the cybersports market could face challenges with investment instability and affordability for new entrants.
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