NiKo stickers sales explode after G2 Falcons scare

Stickers are often a solid investment when particular famous players start teasing roster moves, and the pump-fake move to Falcons makes Nikola “NiKo” Kovač the latest example.

Investing in Counter-Strike skins is almost as old as the game itself, but stickers have generally been the less explosive market. However, whenever big roster changes start brewing, would-be wolves of the Steam Market get busy. With G2 itself playing on rumors that star rifler NiKo would move to Falcons, the market responded with enthusiasm. 

Thanks to new stats from cs.money, we now know exactly how much effect the transfer rumors had.

NiKo stickers go to the moon over Falcons, then drop down

The Falcons rumors led to NiKo stickers experiencing a 1,300% increase in sticker interest, but G2’s little joke cut the profit window short for many traders.

Analysis from cs.money shows that NiKo stickers began trading for significantly higher than normal prices around November 3, 2023, which is shortly after the rumor broke that NiKo would be transferring teams. This was preceded by an initial spike in interest on October 27. 

As for prices, the cheapest stickers from Paris and Antwerp went up nearly 400% while more expensive finishes had smaller gains. Holo and Gold Antwerp Major signatures on the Steam Market went up $5 and $10 respectively over the course of one day.

In theory, if an investor purchased plain NiKo Antwerp stickers at the bottom price of 3 cents and sold at the peak, they would make 450% of their initial investment. Of course, very few investors probably landed that deal, and the majority of profits were likely on much smaller margins.

Players with money to burn could try investing in other players who are rumored to join Falcons, such as Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov or Emil “Magisk” Reif. Cheaper stickers seem to bring better returns, but the sheer bulk required to make a meaningful profit will also make them more difficult to sell. Based on the larger raw price spikes on Holo and Gold stickers, they may be a better investment as they will be easier to sell if a price spike occurs.