Gaimin Gladiators star Quinn Callahan, a vocal figure in the Dota 2 scene, today publicly criticized BetBoom and one of the team’s players, Pure, over an incident during the Bali Major that led to them being sanctioned and eventually eliminated.
The incident, which involved Pure watching a live stream of BetBoom’s game against Tundra Esports while it was paused, led to BetBoom being handed an instant loss and Pure being disqualified—a decision that was met with widespread approval from the community.
Quinn joined the chorus of players and fans responding on July 6, sharing his thoughts on the matter on Twitter: “If you’ve got a stream open, whether malicious or not, you are cheating,” he wrote. “This ain’t [a] gray area. It’s not complicated. He cheated and the action taken was [appropriate].”
BetBoom’s TI-winning star, TORONTOTOKYO, saw it differently. He didn’t talk about the instant loss, but did accuse Azure Ray, BetBoom’s opponent in the Lower Bracket, of “forcing” administrators to disqualify Pure in a fiery all-chat message.
BetBoom went on to lose the lower bracket Dota 2 series and was eliminated from the tournament as a result. It has also put their qualification spot for The International 2023 in jeopardy. Quest Esports, who has been one of the more impressive teams at the major and could even win it, are nipping at their heels.
Related: Gaimin Gladiators considered many ‘top five’ stars before signing Quinn to Dota 2 roster
The incident has sparked a broader conversation about rules and regulations in esports, particularly in high-stakes tournaments like the Bali Major. It serves as a reminder that players are expected to follow the rules, regardless of whether their intentions were nefarious.
The Bali Major is still underway. Team Liquid, Tundra, Gaimin Gladiators, and Quest will duke it out in the Upper Bracket later today. Quinn’s team is looking red-hot at the moment, and his form is a big part of that early success.
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