In an interview with Dust2 at the PGL Antwerp Major, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Russel ‘Twistzz’ Van Dulken said that many new North American CS:GO players switched to Valorant for “easy money.” He took to Twitter shortly after to explain what he meant by that comment.
In a quote tweet of the Dust2 post, Twistzz said that it was sad to see good players in North America leave, pointing toward the young roster of Choas, but said he understands that the players wanted better job security.
The second tier of North America Counter-Strike is currently full of smaller esports organizations that do not pay their players at the same level as Valorant teams and the amount of North American organizations investing into the scene has dropped dramatically in recent years.
“I see comments about needing to pay bills etc.” Twistzz said on Twitter. “This isn’t a normal job, we compete to be the best, that should be the driving factor.”
And I see comments about needing to pay bills etc. This isn't a normal job, we compete to be the best, that should be the driving factor.
— Russel van Dulken (@Twistzz) May 18, 2022
In his interview with Dust2, he also said that the “work ethic” to get better was not there for the players that switched while they were playing CS:GO.
People weigh in on Twistzz Valorant comments
Many pros and community figures across both Valorant and CS:GO put their own opinions behind Twistzz comments and explanation. One of the most prominent was Damian “daps” Steele, a storied CS:GO player who spent time in Valorant and was last seen as the head coach of Evil Geniuse’s CS:GO team.
The former player said that choosing Valorant over CS:GO is a “no brainer” when comparing pay, including sponsors and the boosts players get on their streams when playing the new title.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“Most people who switched weren’t paid and wouldn’t be paid still in CS,” daps said.
https://twitter.com/daps/status/1526809599424315392?s=20&t=WzkNLBJ6nzU7fuTfPFmouA
Others pointed towards Twistzz lack of context around the conditions the players that switched over faced as the Canadian pro has not had to play in second tier CS:GO in over five years.
CS:GO caster Janko “YNk” Paunović also had his own take on the situation, saying that pros need to have better results to earn decent money in CS:GO compared to Valorant.
He also pointed to how countries that pay their teams less, like Brazil and the Commonwealth of Independent States, are higher ranked than some North American teams because they “just keep their head down and put in the work, doing whatever it takes instead of [complaining].”
Twistzz and the rest of FaZe Clan will continue their journey through the PGL Antwerp Major in the playoff stage as they are set to take on Ninjas in Pyjamas on May 19 in the quarterfinals.