Professional Dota 2 player Alexei “Solo” Berezin recently discussed his return to streaming and compared the activity to his career in esports. He shared insights into the pros and cons of both paths.
Solo stated that he considers achieving “good numbers” in streaming to be reaching around a thousand concurrent viewers, which he sees as substantial. Noting the wide range of streamer popularity, with some reaching 50,000 viewers or more, he expressed satisfaction with his current average of 5,000 viewers since returning to the platform. He mentioned that many viewers are still discovering his active streaming, indicating a successful reintegration with his audience.
He feels fortunate to be regaining his viewership and is actively working to consolidate his community, particularly on Telegram. Solo attributes his success to having a dedicated audience that finds him interesting and supportive. He acknowledges the significant effort required in streaming, emphasizing the need for consistent work, creating diverse content, evolving as a streamer, and exploring categories that attract viewers. Despite the hard work, he believes success in streaming is achievable.
However, Solo also highlighted his unfulfilled ambitions as an esports player. He expressed a strong desire to conclude his competitive career on a high note, ideally by winning a world championship like The International.
Comparing the two fields, Solo finds great enjoyment in streaming and interacting with his community. He noted that streamers generally earn more than esports players, pointing out that only top-tier players and teams in esports command high salaries, typically ranging from $10,000 to $20,000, sometimes more. In contrast, he believes that even a moderately successful streamer with decent viewership can earn significantly, with many streamers surpassing the earnings of top professional players.
Berezin also addressed the current accessibility of entering the competitive Dota 2 scene and evaluated his own prospects at the age of 34.
In my case, I think finding a good team is possible because I dedicate a lot of time to the game, maintaining my form by playing both on and off stream.
I believe the main reason older players retire is the increase in personal responsibilities, which limits the time they can dedicate to the game compared to young players around 18 years old. I think it`s easier to quickly grasp the game now because there`s a vast resource of streams from professional players, game replays, and tournament broadcasts available. You have a huge arsenal of tools to develop as a player. Ten years ago, it was much harder; you improved your skills through trial and error. Now, it`s all faster. I think if a young person starts playing at 13–14, by 17–18, they can already be a professional with solid in-game experience.
But I try to stay sharp. I believe I still play well, and I have the opportunity to compete for trophies and titles, so there`s still hope, ambition, and faith. Will it work out? We`ll see.
As of the publication of these remarks, Solo is representing Team Yandex. With the team, he has qualified for Riyadh Masters 2025, scheduled to take place from July 8 to 19 in Saudi Arabia.
Finley Holt