Cheshir on Team Spirit’s decision to drop VALORANT: “It doesn’t fit our business model”
Team Spirit CEO Nikita “Cheshir” Chukalin explained on the club’s official Telegram channel why the organization has no plans to field a VALORANT roster. He also discussed the search for sponsors, the profitability of esports clubs, and the role of prize pools in the industry, as well as what the CEO’s responsibilities entail.
Quotes are reproduced with the source’s spelling and punctuation intact
On launching a VALORANT division
VALORANT definitely falls into the category of elite esports disciplines, but it doesn’t fit our business model. We’re definitely focused on a Russian-speaking audience, and, unfortunately, this discipline hasn’t received the attention it deserves in our region. The entry barrier is quite high, and the current monetization methods are not suitable for us. We are not currently ready to take on the role of a flagship team that would have to draw attention to the discipline in the region. Riot’s attention to our region has historically been low. For all these reasons, as well as some less significant ones, we’ve decided to drop Valorant—at least for now.
On Finding Sponsors
Finding sponsors depends directly on the club’s level and the characteristics of its audience. I’d say it’s become easier for us in recent years, but that’s more due to the quality of our work than to changes in the market
On the club’s profitability
The esports business often walks a fine line between business considerations and the founders’ personal ambitions; when those ambitions outweigh the business side, the project becomes unprofitable
On the significance of prize money in different sports
Regarding revenue distribution, first and foremost, there’s a funny stereotype that prize money plays any role at all for clubs when it comes to choosing a discipline. Indirectly, this factor could be leveraged through its impact on the player base, but that’s questionable)
On the Role of a CEO in Esports
The work of a club CEO isn’t particularly different from that of a CEO in virtually any other media-related business. Oversight and system development are the main responsibilities
Earlier, Team Spirit CEO Nikita “Cheshir” Chukalin answered questions about the prospects for the current Counter-Strike 2 roster, discussed working with star players, and revealed details about the organization’s academy selection process.
Photo: Team Spirit.
