Dota 2 scandal erupts surrounding ForZe's roster releases

Nina Forneloza Published 23/03/2020

ForZe dropped its Dota 2 roster after a public matchmaking scandal, but the story doesn’t end there.

It all started when Egor “19teen” Lexutin trash-talked Russian Youtuber TraVoMaN in a public match. 19teen allegedly got particularly nasty with TraVoMan, which the YouTuber clipped and posted on his channel as proof.

The clip made the rounds and LukOil, ForZe’s major sponsor, decided to take action by imposing a 1 million Ruble fine, approximately $1,200.

It seemed that the penalty did not end there. Shortly after, ForZe announced that it released its entire Dota 2 roster. The organization cited that the players did not meet the expectations of the organization during the trial period.

ForZe’s former Dota 2 squad includes:

Alexander “Gibkiy” Tkachenko
Egor “19teen” Lexutin
Stanislav “633” Glushan
Evgeniy “Chuvash” Makarov
Ivan “VANSKOR” Skorokhod

The team bagged a title at OMG.BET Cup 2 but the success was short lived. ForZe most recently suffered an early exit from the StarLadder ImbaTV Minor Season 3.

However, the team’s underperformance is not the sole reason for the disbandment, according to the pro players. They’re taking to social media to tell their stories.

ForZe in the middle of Dota 2 controversy

Famed Russian caster Vitalii Nikolaevich “v1lat” Volochai told fans that the organization tried to fine the entire squad half of their salaries. ForZe allegedly used the video to drop the team and gain money.

ForZe’s former captain VANSKOR also commented on the issue. In his blog, he stated that the organization did fine the whole team and not just 19teen. He questioned this unfair decision, but they were told to bring the issue in court if they have any problems.

After its performance at StarLadder, ForZe allegedly told the players that they would need to take a pay cut in order to stay with the organization.

VANSKOR also revealed that although the team has huge sponsors, they were paid a very low salary. He also stated that the team experienced being given only two packs of tea and one pack of cookies to eat during the first day of boot camp.

“We tried to find a compromise with the organization, but they refused. The dialogue did not take place,” VANSKOR posted.

According to ForZe, the organization plans to continune competing in Dota 2. However, it will take a break while gathering a young, promising squad to play under its banner.

Nina Forneloza

About Nina Forneloza

Nina Forneloza is a huge fan of gaming, but her favorite genres of games above all other are gacha games, first-person shooting games, and role-playing games. When she isn’t looking for a lucky pull in the latest gacha, you’re likely to find her in a competitive Valorant lobby or playing the latest big single-player RPG. Either way, you can be assured that she’ll be into it and ready to write about the experience.

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