Valve steps in to ban Kuku from Chongqing Major

Valve released their much anticipated decision regarding the Chongqing Major racism drama that has stirred up within the Dota 2 community.

Recently, TNC shed new light regarding Carlo “Kuku” Palad’s alleged ban from the event. The SEA organization received sympathy from the Dota 2 community and from some Dota 2 personalities for the seemingly unfair terms imposed on TNC by tournament organizers in China.

In a Twitter post, TNC outlined the consequences should Kuku decide to attend the tournament. Dota 2 personalities such as Grant “GranDGranT” Harris, David “GoDz” Parker, Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg, Vitalii Nikolaevich “v1lat” Volochai, and Paul “Redeye” Chaloner pledged not to attend the Major if the ban persisted.

Valve then clarified in their own recent statement that Kuku was not banned by the Chinese government. The developer also explained that they are stepping in directly because TNC mishandled the situation on multiple occasions.

“To be clear, TNC is not the victim in this case. It is not okay to cover up the situation, avoid any real sense of responsibility and then deflect it onto the community,” Valve posted.

As a penalty, Valve has banned Kuku from Chongqing Major and will dock 20% from TNC’s current Dota Pro Circuit points. This means that TNC will have a stand-in for Chongqing Major and Kuku can return for the next DPC tournaments.

With the saga having finally concluded, more questions were raised that went unaddressed by Valve. How truthful is Matthew “Cyborgmatt” Bailey’s original Twitter post confirming the ban from the event? How reliable was SLTV’s information about the consequences if Kuku attended the event? And why haven’t Chongqing Major organizers haven’t released a statement on the situation?

The Dota 2 community has been on a roller coaster ride in the past few days, but Valve’s statement will likely be the last chapter regarding Kuku’s role in this drama.