The success of Sm1ley and his fortune built in the CS:GO industry can be inspiring for many players, but first, let’s see how the video game industry is booming nowadays.
The last few decades have been nothing short of a golden age for the industry. Just think about the hundreds of titles released every year. Of course, not all of them are equally successful. But when you think about it, this is a perfect example of just how profitable the industry is. Investors from various fields invest their money into these projects to profit from their investments.
However, some titles have been made years ago that remain relevant today. Those are what people usually address as cult classics. Counter-Strike is one of those cult classics. What originated as a mode of a famous game, Half-Life, has emerged as one of the industry’s leading commercial successes. The game is rather simple, two groups, terrorists and counter-terrorists, are fighting on a limited map. You can imagine that the game is quite competitive.
Video games have become so popular that they are often addressed as e-sports. One thing that ties them to traditional sports is that individuals can place a wager on the outcome of the matches. If you want to try this out, visit MyTopSportsBooks. Bookies started offering this as a possibility. But before you do that, you must understand the best players in this game, right? One of the best ones is Sm1ley.
Why Is Sm1ley the Best One?
We know there are numerous tournaments for CS:GO out there. Some of them come with a hefty prize money. So, nobody should be surprised why there are so many competent teams who participate in these. However, players who do not participate in these tournaments reside in a completely different scene. We are talking about the countless servers for CS:GO that you can find online.
Sm1ley is one of those players. He is yet to make an appearance in an official tournament. Still, we are talking about one of the best players in the world, easily. There are countless proofs of this occurrence. There are countless videos of him competing against the best players out there. His performance is always top-notch. Not to mention that he and his team won numerous online tournaments.
The reason why they do not appear at official tournaments remains unknown, but we can argue that this is a question of privacy. Still, they regularly win in online tournaments where prize money, although not as big as in official tournaments, is not something we should underestimate. He raised a considerable fortune from participating in these tournaments and winning many of them.
How Much Does He Make?
While all the income Sm1ley makes is unknown, we have an insight into a significant portion of his income. According to several credible websites, he makes around $750k from participation in these tournaments. Furthermore, his alter ego, Sm1ley, is frequently present when people give credit to the best players. Today, he is mostly a YouTuber. He makes videos about the game, explaining it to other players.
You will agree that this is only a portion of the money officially the best players make. Of course, we are talking about players frequently present at official tournaments. Even those players give credit to Sm1ley and his skills. Furthermore, he has a large following because of how lucrative the industry is. Everyone wants to become as best a player as possible and learn from the best.
You will find countless lists of the best players out there, and all of them, almost without exception, talk about Sm1ley and his skills. We will name just a couple of names who mentioned him. For example, you will find this information in interviews given by Benjamin Bremer, “blameF,” Nemanja Kovac, “huNter-”, and Mareks Galinskis, “YEKINDAR.” These are all proven names in the industry by winning in numerous tournaments.
What Is CS:GO?
Sure, older generations know what counter-strike is. We’ve already said that it was a mode in Half-Life, that received a life of its own in later years. But what CS:GO is? We are talking about the fourth installment in the franchise, which was released in 2012. Of course, we are talking about installments since it became a standalone title, not tied to Half-Life. The concept has not changed to the highest capacity.
However, that doesn’t mean nothing was changed since the first one. Of course, players are divided into two teams, and they will compete against each other. However, there are slight changes, like additional weapons not featured in older titles. Furthermore, we can see that the physics in the game is somewhat different than they were. The goal of these changes was to make a game more realistic.
Also, CS:GO differs from most other first-person shooters on the market. For example, CS:GO focuses on short calculated bursts, a completely different concept from the all-out Rambo style usually featured in titles such as Call of Duty. Therefore, all the decisions you need to make should be calculated and extremely careful. Otherwise, players with a patient approach will overcome you easily.
How Profitable Is It for Valve?
CS:GO is a game developed by a famous development company, “Valve.” We are talking about the company responsible for Half-Life. Many are surprised to hear that the company makes up to $54 million monthly from its products. The highest percentage of their income comes from purchasing in-game features, like new weapons, mods, and a variety of other elements as well.
Therefore, the company has a significant impact on the tournaments organized. For example, you will find them among the sponsors of the tournaments without exception. So, there is no doubt that CS:GO will continue to be a lucrative title that will generate much more money. We are sure of that.
Summary
Understanding just how Sm1ley became successful in the CS:GO industry is impossible without understanding the industry itself. Here, you can find all the information regarding both sides of the story. We are certain this insight will be helpful in the future.
