Newbee was banned by the Chinese alliance CDA in May 2020, having lost the right to participate in tournaments from Mars Media and ImbaTV. Other tournament operators, as well as Valve and Perfect World (the local publisher of Dota 2), did not react in any way to the incident, so the players of the roster continued to compete in championships from other TOs.
On January 3, 2021, Valve and Perfect World issued a statement that five Newbee players, as well as the club itself, were permanently banned from official Dota 2 tournaments. However, none of the parties has yet provided evidence of Newbee’s guilt, only the reason – participation in fixed matches.
British journalist Richard Lewis commented on the ban that the Chinese esports organization Newbee received for participating in match-fixing in Dota 2. Lewis noted that it took Valve a surprisingly long time to react to this scandal. In addition, the journalist suggested that the first ban that the club received from the Chinese alliance CDA could be a punishment for the fact that the team, on the contrary, refused to engage in match-fixing.
Richard Lewis:
“It does not fit into my head that it took Valve so long to react to the event that happened in May. Banning former TI champions for fixing matches should show everyone how common match-fixing is in Chinese esports. <…>
Fixed matches are held there very brazenly, and I have heard stories more than once how armed criminals came to the players and forced them to do something. Rewards for cooperation are high, but many are simply afraid to refuse.
Match-fixing is so widespread in China that the Newbee ban, which the team received from local authorities, could have happened not for the fixed matches played, but, on the contrary, for those that the club refused to play. But we will not know the truth, because no one will ever want to do this business. “
Former Vici Gaming Employee on Newbee
An insider and former employee of Vici Gaming Staka has named the reason Newbee is in financial trouble. He tweeted that the owner of the organization lost all his money a few years ago.
Staka:
“Newbee closed its offices back in March / April after representatives of the organization announced their intention to appeal the ban at the tournaments. It was a classic statement in such a situation, but, obviously, the club had no grounds for real action.The main reason for its decline is in fact that the owner of Newbee lost all his money on bets back in late 2016 and early 2017. “
Dota 2 Analyst NS says the ban is too cruel
Dota 2 analyst Yaroslav NS Kuznetsov noted that he considers the lifetime ban of Newbee and its former players at Dota Pro Circuit tournaments too radical a measure. On Twitter, he noted that rule-breakers needed to be given a second chance.
Yaroslav NS Kuznetsov:
“Why forever, isn’t it too cruel? It’s like a life sentence for robbing a store. That is, yes, they broke the rules, but nobody died. They’ve probably regretted it a thousand times already, and I think they can be given a second chance. In a couple of years.”
KBBQ says that the news is heartbreaking
Quincy Crew manager Jack KBBQ Chen commented on Valve’s decision to ban Newbee and its former players from Dota Pro Circuit tournaments for life. He believes that financial problems in the discipline’s ecosystem are one of the reasons for this situation. Chen tweeted about this.
Jack KBBQ Chen:
“The news about Newbee, officially confirmed, is heartbreaking. The people from the organization we worked with took great care of us in Shanghai. However, like almost any team at Dota, the club is faced with the financial problems of the ecosystem, which in turn can sometimes greatly distort priorities.”
KBBQ noted that those responsible deserve punishment, but in the future, everything must be done so that clubs and players have fewer reasons to participate in fake matches.
Jack KBBQ Chen:
“Without a doubt, these horrible and unforgivable acts must be punished. Hopefully we can get rid of this in the future by building an ecosystem where the motivation to participate in fake matches will be minimized. ”
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