For the longest time, OpTic’s fanbase was calling out for the signing of Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari, a standout competitor with remarkable talents in the Call of Duty League. He completed his rookie year in 2021 and has been a shining gem of the League since then. As the 2023 season wrapped up, it was revealed that he’d finally be playing with OpTic Texas in the CDL 2024 season, alongside Kenny, Shotzzy, and Dashy.

If there was one juicy topic circulating Pred’s signing, it was the staggering sum which OpTic was reportedly willing to pay for him. There was talk of him having the most valuable buyout in Call of Duty history, and thanks to a comment made during a recent stream, there may be some credence to that claim.

Securing the Bag

During a recent stream ahead of the commencement of the 2024 CDL season, Pred offered up a revealing slip of the tongue. He caught himself just as he suggested he was being paid ‘half a million’ for playing under the OpTic Texas banner, which is a staggering sum for any esports competitor, especially in the current economy. It wasn’t so much the fact that he potentially slipped up – he could have passed it off as a troll or a joke, after all.

No, what was more telling was how Pred behaved after saying, ‘I’ve got to remember, I get paid half a mill -‘. He went dead silent, cutting himself off for seemingly no reason and focusing on his game. Here’s the clip, in case you want to determine for yourself whether Pred was just messing around:

There’s a base salary for all Call of Duty League players that floats around $50,000, but that can of course be boosted up by the organisation that signs said players. For some, the base salary is all they’ll ever see, but for others, there’s definitely a sweetener in store. There’s no way a rookie in the League is being paid the same as a Simp, a Cellium, a Shotzzy, or a HyDra.

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However, off the back of Pred’s comments, a little backlash surfaced. There have long been concerns about how much esports competitors are paid, especially as organisations struggle to become profitable. There’s almost nothing in the pot for an organisation winning an esports tournament, and most funds come from merchandise sales, sponsorships, and other investments.

While it could be stressed that OpTic Gaming is one of the wealthiest organisations in esports with a huge foothold in the merchandise space, it could be argued that it doesn’t justify one player getting a $500,000 salary.

What are your thoughts?

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