Participants withdraw from CSGOEmpire Cup after Major disruption

30-3-2024 11:46

A plethora of teams, casters, and even the tournament organizer have dropped out of the event as CSGOEmpire were heavily linked to audience members storming the Major stage.

Security attempted to tackle those storming the stage

Following the disruption of the Major during the MOUZ vs. G2 game on March 29 when audience members stormed the stage in the middle of the second map, a plethora of teams and casters, as well as the tournament organizer, have dropped out of the $50,000 CSGOEmpire Cup.

Audience members storm Major stage during G2 vs. MOUZ match

MOUZ NXT's coach Tobias "⁠TOBIZ⁠" Theo and SINNERS' CEO Moritz Straube both posted to X/Twitter in the immediate aftermath of the disruption stating their teams would no longer participate in the event, with the latter going as far as to call CSGOEmpire "fucking scumbags."

The tournament organizer and production company running the event, Fortuna Esports, also backed out, saying "after tonight’s shocking events at the PGL Major we are cutting all ties with CSGOEmpire effective immediately."

Casters Travis "Trav" Landaw Mott, Cole "xner" McHenry, Teo "oversiard" Siard, Roope "Nexus" Väänänen, Matthew "HAzE" Stott, and Aleksa "Ljuba" Šurlan all announced their withdrawal on X/Twitter.

CSGOEmpire are a skin gambling site whose owner claimed responsibility for the disruption of the match, during which the Major trophy was damaged and players had to leave the stage for their safety, disrupting the match for 30 minutes. PGL have since stated their intention to press charges.

The teams who have pulled out thus far are:

Nice

2024-03-30 11:46

6 replies

Nice job teams you showed them its not all about money

2024-03-30 19:43

4 replies

Alot of respect. Now I want to see bleed and other known teams drop out as well.

2024-03-30 20:02

3 replies

kassad would never

2024-03-30 20:13

1 reply

His twitter reaction worries me. He doesn't seem to care about it properly.

2024-03-30 20:19

twitter.com/ggBleed/status/1774143002488..

2024-03-31 00:19

Nah, sad to admit but gambling carries CS pro scene rn.

2024-03-30 20:24

bahahahahahaha

LOL

2024-03-30 11:57

Ban Gambling

41 replies

then eSport will end existing

2024-03-30 11:50

32 replies

It existed just fine before gambling, and it didn't even have a fraction of current viewers. It is in a prime state to dump gambling and subsist on viewer numbers alone.

+1 fuck gambling and sports combined

2024-03-30 17:43

real af

2024-03-30 18:08

are you aware that 90% of teams are sponsored by gambling sites even hltv is sponsored by gg bet

2024-03-30 19:17

2024-03-30 20:01

actually gambling is what gave the boost and salary figures that we see today... i'm against gambling, but it is the truth. No one cares about viewing numbers, they are not enough to sponsor 5-10k$ monthly salaries

2024-03-30 19:34

the entire business is founded upon scumbag gambling money and preying on 16 year olds by baiting them with gambling and skins

2024-03-31 20:31

tbf it this were to happen, no, esports wouldnt end. Maybe it would become a lot smaller in market size, and tougher bcus some teams will struggle to get as much funding as they're used to, but I don't believe it will ever seize to exist just because of that Just take a look at how it all started, people playing out of passion and trying to be the best in the world, no ban on gambling will take that away.

2024-03-30 12:04

21 replies

it will be to 2010 where best tournament will have 50K/100K prizepool. 90 % orgs will end existing. Its just gonna be something like chess

2024-03-30 12:07

15 replies

What difference does it make for 99% people?

2024-03-30 12:20

8 replies

for 90% people it will make huge difference

2024-03-30 12:21

7 replies

How? They'll keep watching CS for free

2024-03-30 12:22

They just will stop watching because their favorite org / team will stop existing becuase these orgs and salaries existing most of because bookmakers

2024-03-30 12:23

5 replies

U really think 90% of people watching CS are that braindead?

2024-03-30 12:24

stupid question. My point is if all gamble goes from Esports, the scene will slowly die. Obviously big orgs like NaVi / G2 stays because they has contract with other big companies , but money that gamble site pays and money that computer device company pays incomparable.

2024-03-30 12:30

Let it die

2024-03-30 12:33

If people want to gamble money for esports I think they should be able to. However, if valve started banning the case opening/skin gambling sites I would be all for it.

2024-03-30 14:55

Agree with everything you stated before and here.

2024-03-30 15:09

the worst part would be all the scaling back orgs would have to do, firing staff possibly, reducing players salaries, etc but in terms of competition the scene was fun and fine in the early csgo years where there were less gambling sponsors than today

obviously it wont fully die, but it will be 5 or 10 times smaller than it now

2024-03-30 12:32

So be it.

2024-03-30 14:17

love how you pull data from nowhere to conclude with a even more nonsense idea lmao

2024-03-30 15:38

2 replies

Is he really wrong tho? First CS majors did had 250k prizepool at max, most of the modern organizers are also sponsored by bookies and gambling sites - rejecting their sponsors is like shooting yourself in a leg. Most orgs and their staff do also have contract money from bookies/cryptos, navi has GGBet sponsoring, mouz - Fonbet, Faze - rollbit (Crypto and gambling), G2 - Metaplex (NFTs and crypto).

2024-03-30 17:17

Literally every organization has gambling sponsor and almost every organization is unprofitable. What do you think would happen if every team cut their biggest sponsor?

2024-03-30 20:12

Gambling is accepted everywhere. Also all big Sport, basketball, football, american football etc.. Its sad but money rules. For CS the problem would be that orgs will die but also the pro player scene will be a lot smaller which hurts the level of cs played.

2024-03-30 12:44

You're an idiot. It's like pro sports ending gambling. It's suicide. Gambling is a huge draw. Gambling isn't the problem, it's these awful sites. Valve needs to ban every account associated with that shitty site, lock their money away on frozen accounts, and just call it a f***ing day. No reason to over complicate and overstep because of one bad actor.

2024-03-30 13:42

why am i an idiot ahahahah

2024-03-30 14:37

no, but it will be back to events with basketball nets behind the players and 2,500€ prize pool, which is fine for me

2024-03-30 14:20

You could just ban CS Gambling. Banning the bots used on those sites. Sites like 1XBet would remain but atleast it's not on CS anymore

2024-03-30 17:50

Nah, it‘ll just be full Saudi, UAE, Qatari etc. owned.

Then we are doomed. Every f-in sport/esport event is heavily dependent on gambling money. That's extremely toxic towards the organizations and especially the fans. In Romania we have our professional football league named after a betting company, teams have named their stadiums after betting companies. Every step of the way you HAVE to see some sort of betting advertisement. It's insane to me that betting is still gaining more and more access to every single competition when it should have been regulated and its power over orgs and teams diminished a long time ago

All sports*

2024-03-30 16:52

gambling/betting is big in every sport rather have gambling as main sponsor than saudi imo but its both shit

2024-03-30 13:56

there is gambling and then there is illegal gambling aimed at children, one is fine and the other warrants death penalty

2024-03-30 14:56

Yeah. I am not a fan of gambling, but id rather have sports betting companies that are regulated by countries other than Skin gambling sites who want kids to waste all their family savings just to profit

2024-03-30 16:57

Using skins for gamba is the only bad thing, not allowed by user agreement but valve doesn't enforce it often. Legal gamba with real money is fine.

2024-03-30 18:01

if you think sports betting is the same as gambling in CS, you have no clue what you're talking about. One is highly regulated, the other lets literal children gamble. Even beyond that, they're not even operating within Valve's terms of service.

2024-03-30 15:56

most of the sites are literally playing on loop holes that they are not actual gambling sites, because they give out free draws every day. In some countries this loophole works I don't know what about most of Europe though, if France or Netherlands started cracking down on these sites I would like to see what would happen.

2024-03-30 17:06

Gambling will always exist wether if its in CS or not. So it doesnt matter. People gotta learn to take responsabilities for their action and how to manage their money. Maybe we should ban everything because some ppl abuse it? Nope. I do agree CSGOempire are scumbags tho, and we gotta make sure everything is legit and regulated properly.

2024-03-30 19:06

Or maybe just raise your kids right. Kids should have no access to internet whatsoever and if your kid is gambling their money away it's just bad parenting.

2024-03-30 19:12

Respect to all who pulled out! Hope the rest of the teams follow

2024-03-30 11:47

2024-03-30 15:07

+rep

The omerta is alive

What teams are even left lol… al the “relevant” teams pulled out

2024-03-30 11:48

Going from this list only and the one HLTV posted in announcement, which wasn't complete, as it didn't have Alternate Attax listed, yet they pulled out: VP.Prodigy, Rhyno, Secret, Jano, Astralis Talent, Bleed, Enterprise, Sangal and 3 direct playoff invites: GL, 9Pandas, 3DMAX

2024-03-30 12:51

GL and Bleed pulled out

2024-03-30 19:01

Also sangal pulled out too.

2024-03-30 20:37

Ahahahhahaha. Nice empire, crumbling

2024-03-30 11:49

Cool

invite alliance eyeballers not metiz

what kind of a person are you?

Easy prize money for those that haven't pulled out. esports tier 2/3 teams struggle enough and this is no different morals to accepting shady bookie sponsor money.

25 replies

The people that were organising the event pulled out and so did the casters, it's not happening lmao

2024-03-30 12:01

23 replies

they will just hire someone else probably and find other random teams

2024-03-30 12:02

And those random teams will be (deservedly) mocked and bullied until they either don´t participate or disband all together.

2024-03-30 13:27

20 replies

they wont care especially if they up the prizepool: twitter.com/CSGOEmpireV2/status/17738583..

2024-03-30 13:36

19 replies

Interesting choice to make: -Participate in 1 (probably rigged) tourney, lose, be bullied, mocked and end your cs career. or -Don't do that. Personally i'm excited to see which teams participate, as i'll be mocking and shittalking them for the rest of their 'careers'.

2024-03-30 13:44

17 replies

Ah the cancel cult speaking through its useless idiots.

2024-03-30 14:18

16 replies

Ironic coming from an American. Cancel culture: Actively wanting a product or person banned. Not cancel culture: No longer personally participating in anything related to product or person.

2024-03-30 14:22

Your collectivism is showing.

2024-03-30 14:23

Buzzwords won't get you anywhere mate.

2024-03-30 16:20

"Buzzwords" rofl.

2024-03-30 16:53

"cancel cult." Yes, let's fully support an organization who tried to ruin part of the first CS2 major. We are the enlightened ones, everyone else are sheep! Cute bait though.

"Let's" lol. Schizo much? Think for your self.

2024-03-30 16:56

"Cancel cult." lol. Schizo much? Think for yourself.* *This edit has been approved by someone who speaks English.

2024-03-30 17:10

Difference between cancelling and refusing to do business with someone. Contrary to the rightwing authoritarians, business and individuals have a right to refuse to interact and do business with someone who has done detestable things. But keep running defense for a corrupt gambling company that disrespected our entire community with their actions.

2024-03-30 17:55

Lol "rightwing authoritarians". No one is stopping you from collectively canceling a business based on your moral compass, its the demonization of those who those don't join the group thats so cringe. Hence so many white knights jumping to combat my individualist mocking. Also lol at "disrespected our community".

2024-03-30 18:29

Oh no! Someone disagrees with you and is arguing against you? Truly a failure of society. Who exactly is being "demonetized"?

2024-03-30 18:52

First of all I wrote "demonized". Subtle difference. And secondly, if you scroll up to the post I originally commented on it would be the teams that continue to participate. I mocked him. I mock group think and collectivism. And here we are. I could care less about the whole controversy or whatever.

2024-03-30 21:21

Your entire stance is to "think for yourself*" opposite any position multiple people take, otherwise it's "collectivism." Whew lad. You're some next-level silly. Also "I could care less about the whole controversy or whatever" is a funny way of saying, "I didn't think about my reply for 5 seconds before I kneejerk replied." Why can't we all just think for ourselves? You're so intellectual!

2024-03-30 22:29

I d9n't care about the controversy itself. Just the social dynamic.

Have you ever stopped to consider that sometimes collectively similar opinions are the result of a reasonable position??? Because that's what it means to think for yourself: understanding and evaluating if something is reasonable at face value.

2024-03-30 22:30

Well if those companies continue to do business with a company pulling stunts like this, why do we not have the right to question their position? Why is association never something to be questioned in your mind? There's something wrong with questioning the business decisions of companies? I'm so confused why you're opposed to criticizing organizations that make decisions we don't agree with. And also confused at how you think us critiquing them has any effect on them that we need to account for. Sounds to me that you see a general consensus and immediately attribute that to some sort of social pressure instead of a commonly held, sensible evaluation. Like #228 said.

2024-03-30 22:49

Womp womp

2024-03-30 20:16

fuck this dude and his tournament

2024-03-30 14:50

Yeah it will be probably cancelled lmao

2024-03-30 14:00

struggle enough lmao dude they fix 1match and they are rich af, no one cares about these tier 3 teams

2024-03-30 14:44

XDD they didn't care before and probably are sponsored by worse sites as hltv is

2024-03-30 11:53

Make no mistake, this is not about sudden conscience surge but about bad press

Exactly. Especially given that the CSGORoll and CSGOEmpire drama goes back almost a year now. Taking sides in a drama that has no good sides just because it suits the public perception. The tournament is cancelled - orgs got emails informing them this - but they had to post a tweet to get sympathy points anyway... if anything it makes my stomach turn. Virtue signalling at its finest.

2024-03-30 12:17

Its not about objecting to gambling companies, its about objecting to their company's actions at the major. The fact you can't understand the point of these orgs withdrawing is actually concerning.

2024-03-30 17:57

2024-03-30 11:54

OMEGALUL

TURBOLOL

2024-03-30 11:55

csgoempire on top

bro cooked

2024-03-30 11:56

great for the scene, this psychotic paranoid monarch should delete his social media profiles

xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD LAST ONE TO LEAVE GETS 50K

2024-03-30 11:58

Finnish mongrel Monarch rekted

2024-03-30 12:00

Good.

imagine how shit you would have to be as a site to even have BTN withdraw from your skin gambling site tournament. this is smth i'd never tought i'd see XD

WHO

2024-03-30 12:05

wdym who btn the biggest skin kingpin in estern eu

what the fuck is skin kingpin

Skin gangsta

2024-03-30 12:38

IM ASKIMG WHO COZ I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THAT IS LOL

2024-03-30 15:49

maybe he was the only one in the team against pulling out but 5+org vs 1 wasn't doing him any favors

Serves them right

2024-03-30 12:09

who cars

2024-03-30 12:13

everyone dude

2024-03-30 12:15

i mean i dont care about the event which will be hosted by a ucking gambling site

2024-03-30 12:18

ahhh mb

nope, not ur bad dude its okay

2024-03-30 12:26

who are you?

2024-03-31 20:32

no one of interest

2024-03-31 21:28

im interested to know

2024-03-31 23:02

idk what i can say lol im a pos

2024-03-31 23:30

What an absolute clown show lmao

Karma

2024-03-30 12:19

when retardation hits and you destroy an empire

csgo empire

2024-03-30 13:29

I don't understand mens.. he was making fuck ton of money, why he had to do that ?! like what did he gain by this?

He was definitely high (at least he looked liked it in stream) and wanted to get rid of his competitor while looking like a "white knight"

2024-03-30 14:39

Deserved, hope CSGOempire and all other scam gambling sites rot in hell.

LMAO this is so funny, everything backfired. But in the end negative attention is attention too

2024-03-30 12:28

+1 sadly too true

2024-03-30 21:36

Wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be a huge plot where CSGOEmpire was going to stop anyways and they just want to save money by getting their tournament and stuff cancelled and bringing down their "enemies" with them.

No such thing as bad publicity

Good. I have nothing against legal gambling/betting (despite not betting on esports i play Poker and i bet in sports) but their actions are simply inexcusable! In a fair world everyone would stop using the site and they would get sued into non-existence!

2024-03-30 12:34

Deserved People's wallets are saved from this 322 "tournament"

2024-03-30 12:39

Good. But also shame on G2 for partnering with gambling site that scams people. But fuck Empire as well and all gamba sites

2024-03-30 12:41

Integrity matters.

2024-03-30 12:45

invite BIG so they can win a tournament for once

2024-03-30 12:46

Ai no meed to be mean to Tabby and friends

2024-03-30 20:05

Deserved. Clown fiesta

2024-03-30 12:52

Correct me if I'm wrong, but they've just presented the most valuable major trophy, right? It's always the flawed, damaged one that fetches the most due to its uniqueness.

2024-03-30 12:55

I did not major in journalism but surely making a side by side comparison which team left which team remains should be better

2024-03-30 13:06

And aatax was not even in the invited list, at least according to the previous post

2024-03-30 13:08

What happened?

2024-03-30 13:10

hltv.org/news/38654/audience-members-sto..

2024-03-30 13:16

Some people stormed on the major stage during a game yesterday, they were paid by the owner of a skin gambling site waging a "war" against another gambling site that sponsors g2 and now the owner is getting karma for his actions

2024-03-30 13:18

Hahhaha karma

People were just looking for more ways to hate monarch and gambling and now he does this stunt? hahahahahha what an idiot

That backfired nicely

2024-03-30 13:19

very good. more, please more!

2024-03-30 13:23

I'm glad this happened in a place of " civilized people ". Imagine if this happened in Brazil, the amount of nonsense these " civilized people " would type.

2024-03-30 13:25

If something like that had happened in Brazil, some people probably would have been dead by now.

" dead " flag

2024-03-30 14:27

BR people always trying to make it about them somehow.

2024-03-30 14:25

civilized people and ur flag does not make sense

2024-03-30 14:32

Ikr! Also, Rio was a library, except when br team played

2024-03-30 15:15

I wouldnt call the Danish too civilized

2024-03-30 16:58

csgoempire stole mouz's adrenochrome in their sleep

2024-03-30 13:26

This is a friendly reminder of the ugly truth about gambling. Don't do it mens. If you must, use your brain, don't let the game play you.

2024-03-30 13:32

csgoempire acting like they are any better fucking hypocrites

2024-03-30 13:33

+1 but expected they are all delusional

2024-03-30 14:04

a tournament bleed could possibly win

2024-03-30 13:38

Kekw

Liquid couldn't win even this one

deserved

2024-03-30 13:53

I hope he is happy now

2024-03-30 13:55

They should protest peacefully outside the stadium.

deserved I hope this site will get closed soon

2024-03-30 13:57

Valve should finally step in but I doubt they will ...

How can valve step in tho. I don't see a way for them to interrupt empire

2024-03-30 16:43

of course they can they literally have their game in their name

2024-03-30 16:44

Pearl clutching at its finest.

2024-03-30 14:11

LMAO they screwed themselves hahahahahaha

2024-03-30 14:15

Justice

2024-03-30 14:26

Did all that just to burn out a $50,000 online t4 tournament.

wtf

2024-03-30 14:28

Free money for however stays

2024-03-30 14:40

fuck csgoempire, one of the worst scumbags outhere

2024-03-30 14:48

Were there ruskies?

2024-03-30 14:51

This organisation is finished!

2024-03-30 15:19

Idk the owner seems like he doesnt care too much, just look at his kind of responsed

Good job those who took a stand and dropped out. CSGOEmpire and Monarch need to be called out. What a joke, talking about ethics as if you’re not in that same predatory industry promoting gambling to kids

2024-03-30 15:24

His point is still right no matter how you cry

ok but whats the point if he's also in that scummy business? thats like a criminal saying crimes are bad

2024-03-31 08:56

he wants maybe that people to stop him. Some criminals have this psychology they know deep down they can't stop but they want people stop them

2024-03-31 10:54

Richard Lewis is gonna have a field day with this one, especially since he's there!

2024-03-30 15:29

2024-03-30 16:03

I don't approve of his methods, but he does have a point. Why on earth is G2 continuing to associate themselves with a betting site that just pulled off an exit scam?

2024-03-30 16:05

I love how no one is even talking about scummy g2 sponsors anymore xd

If csgoempire empire acted other than that it would be way better? Instead they made themselves look like a clowns

2024-03-30 16:11

they indeed acted like clowns, but the fact that everyone keeps blatantly ignoring the source of the problem is also dumb.

2024-03-30 16:42

Name checks out, when god distributed intelligence, you were probably on the toilet.

2024-03-30 22:51

2024-03-31 00:27

BIG W, now valve needs to make more restriction towards 3rd party sites

2024-03-30 16:10

what a way to sabotage urself

All teams are gambling supporters.

A dude plots to storm the stage and succeeds. The fans: "fuck this guy, boycott all his stuff!" TO's and orgs do worse stuff. The fans: " meh, who cares?" I love it.

no big org doing it, but good move anyways. Idc about this stuff at all so whatever hahahah

2024-03-30 16:48

2024-03-30 17:07

meanwhile hltv still shows their ads

2024-03-30 17:18

money money money

2024-03-30 20:03

I was here before any of the gambling sites sprouted into CS, I would be here afterwards. It's insane that kids have a gambling addiction, it would be a perfect opportunity to change some things.

2024-03-30 17:19

This stunt backfired! This is going to end badly for CSGOEmpire.

We need more serious sponsors in esports instead of these cringe criminal gambling sites

2024-03-30 17:26

Some of these orgs have alot of money for great corporate lawyers and can sue them really bad. They Fuk’d uppp

2024-03-30 17:49

W those teams

2024-03-30 18:04

AHAHAHA

2024-03-30 18:12

2024-03-30 18:41

2024-03-30 19:41

Backfire on CSGOEmpire is huge XDDD

2024-03-30 18:43

lol

2024-03-30 19:18

RIPBOZO

2024-03-30 19:19

but not a word on why they did it huh

2024-03-30 19:35

Oh why did a gambling company create a scene to denounce their competitor? Hmmm I wonder why they could have possibly pulled this stunt. Surely its not greed and competition criticizing a competitor for acts they themselves do?

2024-03-31 14:37