Steven R. July 27, 2019
Recent revelations made by Robin "Fifflaren" Johansson are sparking other Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players to come forward on their own unfortunate dealings with esports organizations.
Current Natus Vincere player Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhailov stated on Twitter that $95,000 was “stolen” from him by an unspecified party. He goes on to list a pair of dates which mark the beginning and end of his days with the Quantum Bellator Fire. He remained vague on the specifics but opened up a bit further in the hours that followed.
“I want to say thanks to Winstrike Team, that saved my career at that moment,” he said on Twitter. “One of those people who stole our money is now in a CIS minor on a different team, and I am very sad that people after this remain in esports.”
Boombl4 rose to fame at the ELEAGUE Boston Major alongside the rest of the Quantum Bellator Fire roster. Despite being an unheralded CIS squad, the team stunned CSGO fans with a top-eight run.
The lineup was transferred to Winstrike Team five months later. Quantum Bellator Fire signed a new CSGO squad shortly thereafter that struggled with roster moves for four months en route to disbandment.
Boombl4’s revelation comes on the heels of renewed discussion on organizations’ exploitation of professional players.
Earlier in the week, Fifflaren sat down for a lengthy interview regarding his run with Ninjas in Pyjamas from 2012 to 2014. Despite being a part of one of the most successful CSGO teams in history, the organization’s business practices and deep cuts into tournament winnings left him financially strapped. A number of other players from the team went on to corroborate his story.
While Boombl4 was not a part of NiP, esports has long had an industry-wide issue with organizations taking advantage of their talent. Exploitative contracts have seen companies skim exorbitant sums of money off the top of players’ earnings without their knowledge. This isn’t as much of a problem today as it was several years ago, but similar stories still pop up regularly both with players airing past grievances and with new incidents coming to light.
It is unclear who Boombl4 is talking about, but the CIS Minor to the StarLadder Berlin Major is currently underway. More revelations may come in the near future.