While BIG has only won a series of group stage games and passed through the Major qualification system, they are an incredibly hot team to buy right now. Organizations like NRG, who passed up on the German team as they were forming, must be punching themselves right now. NRG passed up the one team that can truly tap into the German market and the one German team that can really do something of mention on LAN. All of this thrown to the wind for a team from an oversaturated region that barely makes it to LAN, and when they do go to a tier 3 LAN, they go out last place in groups. Nevertheless, BIG can still yield large rewards to prospective organizations.

gob b and his Serbian friend, LEGIJA, were going to make a German team after they got fed up with NRG. Sources say that what has now gone onto to be known as BIG was a team made available to NRG, but they turned them down. This is no surprise to those aware of NRG’s ventures across esports but is worthy of mention nonetheless. In January this year, BIG, as they currently stand, was formed. Apparently, this organization has a fair amount of funding behind it considering the team lives in a mansion together. Not much else is known about them otherwise. They appear to be a player-formed organization, but with the RFRSH teams and the mansion in mind, who knows how much the players own.

Before their Major fame, BIG was known to the Counter-Strike community, but they were confined to online leagues and tier 2 tournaments. Their tier 2 LAN showings consisted of DreamHack Leipzig, which resulted in a second place performance after being together for only two weeks, and third/fourth at Copenhagen Games. Online, BIG have been participating in tournaments and leagues. BIG are now a Pro League team, but they have yet to play a season of Pro League as they made it through relegations only two months ago. BIG’s Major run is definitely a surprise, but for those who have been watching them closely for the past 6 months, there have been indications that they are more than just a German online team.

But BIG hasn’t won a single Bo3? That is correct and BIG could have little improvement from here on out, but this German team guarantees their prospective owners two incredibly valuable things. BIG are now Legends and are guaranteed not only a spot to show off their skills in the next Major but an opportunity to get sticker money. Sticker money has been reported to be so valuable that iBuyPower turned down salaries in order to keep the entirety of their prize and sticker money. Obviously, Counter-Strike was in a different position back then, shown by iBuyPower’s throw, but players and team owners have indicated sticker money to be a sizable sum, which appears to be why some players are spicing up their signatures. Along with the Major spot, which is dependent on having three players of the team that attained Legends status, ESL Pro League has revealed they have a similar policy. EPL spots belong to the organizations but only if they can field a similarly skilled roster. If they can’t, which I doubt BIG’s ability to, then whichever organization buying the team gets the spot. If that doesn’t work out, a potential buyer for BIG could always buy the spot as well. The reason why having an EPL slot is so valuable is that an org can guarantee their sponsors a certain amount of exposure even if they don’t make it to LAN.

Even if BIG turns out to be a flash in the pan, which doesn’t seem likely when taking into account BIG’s results before the Major as well as their style of play, BIG is guaranteed to make a new org money. Plus, any interested org could buy out the BIG players for a fairly low price. That is of course in consideration of the BIG players being signed with buyouts reasonably priced for what they were worth at the start of this year. While it isn’t likely that the BIG org will negotiate with a buyer in light of BIG’s recent success, the buyout should be within reach of the typically wealthy or venture capital backed next generation esports investors.

For an organization like NRG, BIG may not be a cultural fit for the brand that they are trying to create, but they do currently command the respect and admiration of the German fanbase. Marketing budgets for companies are divided by country. With the United States being such a large country, an American marketing division of a company, like Logitech, is more willing and able to dish out cash than say Logitech’s Polish marketing division. This is why North American teams make so much money even though they perform so poorly in esports. It’s all about the number of fans of the region you represent and how deep their pockets are, and that’s something that Germany has in abundance.

German fans cram into large stadiums, like the LANXESS Arena, when ESL One Cologne comes around. We know there are a large number of German esports fans and specifically Counter-Strike fans even though they haven’t a team to really represent them. There’s mousesports, a traditionally German team, but they only have a single lackluster German player. There’s Penta, another traditionally German organization, but they are a tier 2 or 3 team with only one German player as well. Whoever owns the team that currently plays under the BIG brand will control the German fanbase. Not only that, but capitalizing on the lack of German teams will allow an aspiring multi-game esports org to parlay this purchase into a long-term investment into esports as a whole.

For ages, the German fans have been crying out for a team to represent them, and now, they have one. Not only that, but BIG is an investment screaming for those looking to make the leap into Counter-Strike or esports in general to buy now. Although this is not the lowest price one may get BIG for, that was yesterday, today is the best price one can get for BIG moving forward. It’s time to buy BIG.

Image credit: ESL

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