Valve launches square-ranked Cologne Major stickers, caps price

Valve released a Counter-Strike update that adds a new series of square IEM Cologne Major ranked stickers. Each sticker displays a team’s final placement at the tournament and the series will be available in the in-game shop through September 29.

The developer also changed the sticker pricing model. Valve acknowledged the original dynamic pricing system “didn’t produce reasonable prices.” Under the earlier system, some sought-after stickers climbed above 150,000 tokens (about $1,500). At the time of publication the highest-valued stickers are listed at 6,000 tokens (about $60).

Several professional teams reported a sharp drop in Cologne Major sticker sales compared with a recent Major capsule, with one team describing the decline as “disastrous.” One organization reported earnings from Cologne stickers were roughly 20% of what it received from a comparable StarLadder Budapest Major capsule.

Stickers tied to Majors generate revenue for competing teams; in-game purchases typically share a portion of sales proceeds with organizations and players. Valve changed the sticker shape and implemented the price cap to address extreme price swings that emerged under the previous system.

The Cologne Major sticker series will remain on sale until September 29. Valve indicated it may adjust pricing or release additional series based on player demand and internal review after the sale period ends.