C9 Jack says Perkz could have been paid seven digits more but chose C9

Luka “Perkz” Perković could have been paid seven digits more than what Cloud9 has offered him, but he chose the most competitive option.

Cloud9 founder and CEO Jack Etienne recently talked about the transfer of Perkz and how the talented mid laner turned down a lot of money to play for C9 in the 2021 LCS season. 

In an interview with Duncan “Thorin” Shields, Etienne opened up about the process of signing Perkz and which thoughts he and the organization put into the decision. Etienne mentioned that getting Perkz for the 2021 season was the biggest goal of the offseason but also by far the most expensive. Despite the prize, Etienne was willing to go all-in on the deal. 

Luckily for Etienne and C9, the deal with Perkz ended up going through and the European superstar is now heading overseas to play in the LCS for the first time. The trade is according to many the biggest in LCS history and it could be years before another trade of that caliber is seen. 

Even though the deal likely involved millions of dollars, Perkz could have gotten better offers money-wise, according to Etienne. 

“He [Perkz] took a significant paycut to be on Cloud9,” Etienne said. “Not like a small amount, but like seven digits lower to come to us,”

Etienne notes that this doesn’t mean Perkz isn’t getting paid a lot, but that he could have accepted offers with a much higher yearly salary. 

Several fans have been speculating if Perkz is simply going to North America to cash out like it’s been seen from many other talented players in the past. The LCS teams have been known to import top players from around the world, but some have not been able to perform as soon as they entered Summoner’s Rift in the LCS. 

In the case of Perkz, Etienne assures that Perkz did not go to C9 to make money before retiring and is expected to do great things in North America.  

“What it showed me is that this guy is willing to forego some money, obviously not all of it, to make sure he is on the very best team,”. Jack explained. “That really gave me the assurances that the Perkz I’ve seen in Europe for several years now is the guy that will be coming here,”  

Perkz will come to North America at a time where the mid-lane position has taken a bit hit after the retirement of former Team SoloMid mid laner Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg. The retirement of Bjergsen leaves a big gap in the mid lane and an opportunity for Perkz to step in and become the next face of the LCS. 

Perkz will make his debut on C9 when the 2021 LCS Spring Split kicks off at the start of 2021. 

Who is the CEO of Cloud9?

The CEO of Cloud9 is Jack Etienne, who was originally manager for Team SoloMid. In season 3, Etienne became the manager and owner of Cloud9. He started out by picking up the former Quantic Gaming lineup that went on to qualify for the LCS. 

How old is Perkz?

Perkz is currently 22 years old and is therefore still a fairly young player despite his enormous experience. Perkz started his career on Gamers2, which later on turned into the G2 Esports we know today. Perkz was a part of Gamers2 when the team qualified for the EU LCS for the first time and since then the organization has only improved. Now Perkz will continue his journey on Cloud9 after over five years in Europe.   

Why did Perkz switch to ADC?

Perkz swapped to the ADC position going into the 2019 LEC season because G2 picked up Rasmus “Caps” Winther from Fnatic. With the signing of Caps, G2 suddenly had two world-class mid laners on the team, but Perkz voluntarily swapped to bot lane to make space for the talented Dane in mid. From the bot lane position, Perkz has won three LEC trophies, the 2019 Mid-Seasonal Invitational, and made it to the 2019 World Championship final.

On Cloud9, Perkz will return to the mid lane where he originally made a name for himself as one of the best players in European LoL history.