"Player salaries have become one of the biggest problems in the pro scene", — Tundra Esports owner

Tundra Esports owner Maxim Demin Jr. explained in an interview why the organization chose to enter Dota 2, how the game's ecosystem has changed over the years, and why player salaries have become one of the biggest issues in the professional scene.

According to him, the decision to enter Dota was entirely deliberate. At the time of signing the Mudgolems roster, the game remained one of the most popular titles in esports, attracted major sponsors, and offered a lower barrier to entry compared to other games.

In games such as League of Legends, organizations had to purchase a franchise slot, which is why the choice ultimately fell on Dota 2.

When it came to selecting a roster, we considered several options. Mudgolems were already delivering strong results at the time, which is why the team was chosen for the partnership.

Tundra owner Maxim Demin also compared the modern professional scene to the DPC era. In his opinion, the current system has become more efficient thanks to a larger number of tournaments and prize pools throughout the year. However, the gap between tier-1 and tier-2 teams has also widened.

One of the biggest draws was The International and its massive prize pool. It definitely influenced our decision. There were also more LAN tournaments back then, but I am glad that the DPC system was eventually changed.

However, there is also a problem: the gap between top teams and everyone else continues to grow. With player salaries and buyout fees increasing significantly, prize money alone is no longer enough.

Demin believes that player salaries have become one of the main issues of modern Dota 2. He noted that more money has entered the industry over the years, leading to higher salaries and transfer fees.

We always tried to offer competitive salaries while remaining reasonable. Today, the salary market has become overheated, and organizations without strong commercial backing are finding it increasingly difficult to compete financially.

He also added that prize pools are no longer sufficient to sustain top-tier rosters, while sponsorships remain the primary source of revenue for most organizations.

It is worth recalling that Tundra Esports sold its entire roster to 1Win and transformed into a media-focused project. Financial difficulties and changes in the economics of the professional scene were among the main reasons behind the decision.

Earlier, Cyberscore reported the reasons behind Alexander TORONTOTOKYO Khertek's departure from OG.