Valve has officially released the stickers and Viewer Pass for the upcoming IEM Cologne Major, bringing a massive transformation to how stickers are purchased, how Souvenir weapons are crafted, and how revenue is distributed among participating teams.
A New Token-Based Purchasing Model
Valve is stepping away from the traditional capsule unboxing system. Fans now have direct control over their purchases through a dynamic token system.
- Direct Purchases: You can now use “tokens” to buy any specific sticker of your choice.
- Dynamic Pricing: The cost of individual stickers will fluctuate based on relative demand—prices will increase as a sticker becomes more popular.
- Partial Refunds: To protect buyers from sudden market drops, Valve implemented a refund safety net. If a sticker’s price falls by more than 25 tokens within 24 hours of your purchase, you will receive a token refund for the total difference.
Custom Souvenir Weapons
The process for acquiring Souvenir weapons has also been completely reimagined. Instead of receiving pre-generated drops, fans can now craft their own Souvenir items.
You can choose a weapon directly from your inventory, select a specific match, and pick the gold player and team stickers. The final cost of crafting the Souvenir weapon will depend on the value of the selected stickers and the rarity tier of the base weapon used.
Restructured Team Revenue Sharing
The way sticker revenue is divided has been significantly adjusted. While 50% of the total revenue is still allocated to the esports ecosystem, the breakdown has changed:
- Tournament Organizer: Retains a 5% cut.
- VRS Distribution: The remaining 45% is distributed to the teams based on their current placement in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
- Top to Bottom: The highest-ranked team will earn a 2.85% share of the revenue, scaling down to 0.72% for the bottom two ranked teams.
Once the IEM Cologne Major concludes, the revenue distribution model will shift. All subsequent sticker revenue will be allocated based on the teams’ final placements at the Major itself, rather than their previous VRS standings.
