It’s been some time since we heard about the scandal that took place earlier in 2015 during qualifier rounds for the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive world tournament in which players were found to be fixing matches and were consequently banned indefinitely. Today, Valve issued an official statement that these bans will be permanent and future shady behavior of the like will not be tolerated.
The decision was released via the Counter-Strike blog, following up on the indefinite suspension of 21 pro CS:GO players back in January. At the time, it was said that these suspensions would not be reviewed until 2016. 2016 has come and it has brought no good news for those who took part in the scandal.
Valve has taken a firm stance in making an example of those who hurt the integrity of the competition, which already boasted a $250,000 prize pool, as well as the integrity of the pro scene in Counter-Strike in general.
”As the scene grows, it’s an unfortunate reality that some individuals will seek opportunities to take advantage of their fans,” the statement says. ”We will continue to take whatever action we think is necessary to protect the entertainment value created by professional Counter-Strike, including, on occasion, terminating our relationship with individuals who have demonstrated a willingness to exploit their fans’ faith in the integrity of the sport.”
It comes down to a hard truth that with esports fighting and doing well to finally make itself an established product, Valve can’t take a chance on people who have shown they would willingly damage that product at the very visible top tier. One can expect that organizations that generally stand by Valve and host esports tournaments themselves such as the ESL will most likely follow suit in ensuring that these players will not be playing in any of the pro scenes sponsored by these organizations in the foreseeable future.
