James BanKs, a well-known host of Counter-Strike 2 tournaments, publicly said he agrees with Team Vitality captain Dan 'apEX' about the current overheating of the transfer market. BanKs shared his view on the social platform X, echoing concerns raised by the player about inflated valuations and risky financial expectations surrounding transfers.

Russian esports competitor Abdul “degster” Gasanov sent fans his best wishes for the upcoming New Year, saying he hopes 2026 will be an improvement over the current year.

On January 11 at 15:16, ApEX commented publicly on the transfer situation ahead of 2026, noting widespread intent among organizations to reshuffle their rosters.