G2's former CEO ocelote interviewed: About salaries. Signing ZywOo and NiKo for emotional attachment

Recently, there has been a lengthy interview conducted by an international media outlet with G2's former CEO ocelote. In the discussion, the Spanish figure shared his perspectives on the establishment of G2, the signings of Mathieu Herbaut (ZywOo), and Nikola Kovač (NiKo) - the brother of huNter- in CS, among other topics:

Q: When you decided to lead G2 into the international esports scene in 2019, did you sense the risks behind it? Did you ever think this project could fail?

Before founding G2, don't forget I established Kinguin, the precursor to G2, which was an international team. At that time, we had players like Adil Benrlitom (ScreaM), Mikail Bill (Maikelele), Ricardo Pacheco (fox), etc., from different countries and cultural backgrounds. So, having Kinguin as a background endorsement made me more confident in operating G2. With Kinguin, I didn't have to limit my choices to just France in terms of recruitment. My vision could expand globally, attracting elites and talent worldwide to help the team grow.

Q: In the current esports industry, how much do top-tier players roughly earn in a month?

As I'm not actively involved in team operations right now, I'm not sure. However, I think it wouldn't differ much from before. In a top 10 level team, the top two players may earn salaries ranging from $20k to $30k per month, approximately.

Q: G2 was the first club to sign both the French absolute star players Richard Papillon (shox) and Kenny Schrub (kennyS). How did you accomplish this?

Presently, G2 also possesses stars like NiKo and Ilya Osipov (m0NESY). That's my job - turning the impossible into possible. It's my favorite part of the job, making seemingly unrealistic lineups a reality.

Q: There were rumors that G2 and Envy had contacted ZywOo before Vitality, offering him a monthly salary of 10,000 euros, but he declined due to wanting to finish his studies. What's your take on this?

That's not true, but we did consider signing him. However, this idea was quickly dismissed internally, not just concerning one player but the entire team. Some within the team had suspicions about his potential cheating due to his exceptional performance despite being only 15 at the time. To avoid risk, we didn't pursue further actions. If we were an unknown team, maybe we'd have taken the risk. But we're G2, and even a 10% risk could result in serious consequences—considering fan reactions, sponsor responses, and potential bans. So, considering these factors, we didn't proceed with the deal.

Q: Let's talk about kennyS. In an interview, he mentioned that leaving G2 was the best decision for all parties involved. How do you view this player?

He's an outstanding player and also a great person. There's no doubt about his abilities; he's like an all-around magician. So, I placed him on the same pedestal as NiKo and m0NESY. Unfortunately, he didn't vibe well with the team, and despite numerous attempts, we couldn't make it work. kennyS is intelligent, and he knew this wouldn't lead to positive results, so reaching this consensus was a natural occurrence.

Q: As a Spanish club, why does G2 wield such significant influence in the French CS market?

I don't care if we're a Spanish or French club; the only thing that matters to me is performance. G2 is a Spanish club only because I was born in Spain; that's the extent of it.

Q: NiKo and huNter- are cousins, and they always wanted to play on the same team, either huNter- to FaZe or NiKo to G2. What prompted you to sign NiKo?

Perhaps because I'm better at business than those guys at FaZe, at least from my perspective. In the business field, I play fair; I don't engage in other people's strategies. To bring NiKo to G2, I paid FaZe a transfer fee of $1 million.

Q: At the Stockholm Major, G2 lost to Natus Vincere in the finals, which was the closest your club came to a Major championship. How did you react after losing that match? Were you disappointed?

Yes, the entire club was disappointed and frustrated after losing that match, but that's the nature of professional esports. In esports, I don't believe in coincidences. NAVI had never lost on Nuke before, and victory seemed within our reach. However, something strange happened at that moment.

Q: Why did you invest heavily to sign m0NESY?

At that time, there were no other suitable snipers on the market for us to choose from. We considered Nicolai Reedtz (device), but we ultimately declined due to some strange behaviors and rumors we heard about him, and then he disappeared. We also had discussions with ZywOo, but he was not available as he was Vitality's untouchable asset. Tsvetelin Dimitrov (CeRq) was also considered, but his career was on a downhill slope and didn't convince me. So, considering all aspects, m0NESY was our best choice - young and passionate. We spent a considerable amount to bring him to G2, and I believe nobody ever paid such a high transfer fee for such a young player in esports. By the way, NAVI valued m0NESY in the seven-digit range.

Q: The uproar surrounding Justin Savage's (jks) departure stirred many rumors, some saying it was NiKo's sole decision due to wanting to play brotherly CS, thus bringing fellow countryman Nemanja Isaković (nexa). What's your take on this?

I think people who believe this are a bit foolish because the truth is simple - NiKo and jks, as partners, won championships. Would NiKo give up winning for so-called brotherly CS? As for the club, we didn't have enough financial capability to support NiKo's idea of brotherly CS, as you can't just buy any player NiKo wants. However, I can say that NiKo is definitely one of the decision-makers. Generally, we choose the most suitable people from a list collectively, not just by one player.