Virtus.pro CEO Nikolai Petrosyan recently discussed the hypothetical transfer of CS2 player Ilya `m0NESY` Osipov to their team. This scenario, exploring mutual interest between the player and the club, was simulated during an interview on Erik `Shoke` Shokov`s YouTube channel.
During the interview, Shoke proposed a hypothetical situation: “What if m0NESY contacted you two weeks ago and said, `I want to join Virtus.pro, buy me for $2.5 million.` Would you buy him?”
Petrosyan responded by emphasizing that they were viewing this “in a vacuum, like in a fantasy.” While acknowledging it would be a “roster upgrade,” he immediately raised the importance of the total financial package. “The transfer is $2.5 million. What about the salary?” When Shoke suggested $25,000 a month, plus an additional $25,000 for media rights (totaling $50,000 monthly), Petrosyan highlighted the annual cost ($600,000) and posed a counter-scenario: “What if he wanted not $50,000, but $120,000?”
He further explained that such a move should be viewed as an “investment, not just spending money.” To recoup such a significant investment, a longer commitment is necessary. “I`m investing this kind of money – I need to make that money back, and for that, I need distance [a long-term contract]. As we know, esports players aren`t big fans of signing long-term contracts,” Petrosyan stated.
Petrosyan concluded that “a million other factors and circumstances” would ultimately influence the “yes or no” decision. “Is $2.5 million expensive? Yes or no? Salary, contract term, and so on. Real life is much more complicated than fantasy.”
When Shoke presented a specific package – a three-year contract with a $50,000 monthly salary and a $2.5 million transfer fee – and asked if he would take it, Petrosyan`s answer was decisive: “Three years is too short. Five. Of course.”
(As context, m0NESY did transfer from G2 Esports to Team Falcons in Spring 2025. Details of that specific deal were not disclosed, but according to insider Guillaume `neL` Canelo, it was the most expensive transfer in competitive CS history.)