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Valve Rejects Player Autographs Before the Major

Just days before the StarLadder Major Budapest 2025, Counter-Strike 2 players and fans are upset after Valve reportedly rejected a large number of player autograph designs for the game’s upcoming Major stickers.

These in-game autographs are a big deal in CS2, players earn money from sticker capsule sales, and fans love collecting them as a show of support. But this year, many pros say their new designs were rejected without clear reasons, and some are being forced to reuse their old ones.

Players Speak Out on Social Media

FURIA’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis was one of the first to share the news on Telegram.

Kamil “siuhy” Schkaradek from Team Liquid had a similar experience, saying on X:

Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek from NRG went into more detail, saying Valve didn’t explain anything.

Other players like Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato and João “snow” Vinicius also complained about their rejections, with KSCERATO posting:

Fans Mock Valve’s Strict Rules

The backlash quickly spread online. A Reddit post titled “Valve seems to be rejecting a lot more sticker designs this year” gained thousands of upvotes, with players and fans debating whether Valve’s rules were too harsh.

According to Valve, signatures must be hand-drawn, look like something players could sign on a fan’s mousepad, and take no longer than 5–10 seconds to write.

But fans think the rule is killing creativity. One Reddit user joked:

“Might as well just use Arial font at this point.”

Another user, @dingleCS2, shared a fake set of overly simple “Valve-approved” designs for players like ZywOo, REZ, snow, and KSCERATO, poking fun at how boring they could look under the new rules.

Community Divided Over Valve’s Decision

The community is split. Some agree with Valve’s idea of keeping signatures “real” and easy to reproduce, while others say the stickers should be more creative and fun since they’re digital, not real-life autographs.

One fan wrote:

“Nobody’s buying these for realism. We like them because they’re cool and show the player’s personality.”

Others reminded that in the past, Valve allowed unique and fun autographs, like Karrigan’s bat drawing and chopper’s anime-style hat, which made stickers more special to collect.

Now, players and fans say the crackdown is removing that personal touch, turning creative designs into plain handwriting.

Why Valve Might Be Doing This

Some believe Valve wants to stop players from hiring outside artists to make their signatures, or to avoid issues with AI and copyrighted designs. Others think it’s about making the process faster and fairer for everyone.

But the lack of clear communication is the real problem. With no explanation or feedback system, many pros are left guessing why their designs were rejected, and fans are left disappointed.

Looking Ahead to the StarLadder Major

The StarLadder Major Budapest 2025 is set to be one of the biggest CS2 events of the year, but this sticker drama is taking attention away from the competition itself.

Until Valve explains its decisions or loosens the rules, players may lose part of their income, and the game may lose some of its creative charm.