Valve sues Dota 2 tournament organizer GESC for not paying talent

Steven Rondina Published 21/12/2019

Former Dota 2 tournament organizer Global Electronic Sports Championship, also known as GESC, is being sued by Valve.

According to a report from Dot Esports, the Dota 2 publisher is working with its lawyers for an alleged lack of payments to players and teams stemming from the two minor tournaments it hosted during the 2017-2018 Dota Pro Circuit season. The GESC Indonesia Minor took place in March 2018, which was followed by the GESC Thailand Minor in May 2018. A number of top teams including Evil Geniuses, Team Secret, and Fnatic took part in the events.

In October 2018, an open letter was published to Dota.gg by Matt Bailey of Team Secret accusing GESC and CEO Oskar Feng of not paying the players who participated in the events as well as the broadcast and operational talent involved. According to Bailey, GESC owed $750,000 to workers and talent at the events.

“Several of the group have attempted to obtain payment by issuing late notice for payment invoices and through several conversations with Mr. Feng over the last six months and despite continued assurances that all debts would be settled in September, they were not,” Bailey said.

Dota Pro Circuit tournaments carry a 90-day limit for tournament organizers to pay players and talent. At the time, GESC was scheduled to run two other tournaments: GESC Kuala Lumpur and GESC Singapore. Neither of those events came to pass.

Dot Esports discussed the suit with a representative from Valve, who stated that Valve cut ties with GESC in regards to holding official events.

“Our agreements with tournament operators require timely payment to participants,” the Valve representative said. “We feel this is vital to the success of these events long term. When operators fail to meet those requirements, we follow up.”

GESC seemingly ceased operations following the Thailand Minor. No news or updates have been posted to the official GESC website since May 2018 ahead of the Thailand Minor, and the company has not run any other events since.

Details are scarce regarding the suit, including when and where it will play out. It is also unclear what actions Valve had taken ahead of filing suit. Regardless, this is the latest chapter in a year in esports that has seen multiple tournament organizers outed for not paying talent.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile

Read Also

Dota 2

Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged Michael Hassall The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...

Dota 2

PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain Michael Hassall Filipino organization PlayTime Esports has been removed from the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 competition following an intervention by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and a ruling by the Esports Foundation and EWC. Following a postponement of the PTime vs. Vici Gaming Survival Stage matchup on July 14, ESIC announced that it was actively investigating two members of the South American-based PTime organization, Team Captain Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and ...

Esports Betting

Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Michael Hassall A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...

Dota 2

Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Wasif Ahmed Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Michael Hassall If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...