5 Esports Scandals You Might Not Have Heard About

by Muhammad Waleed
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The world of traditional sports has always been rife with controversy. From doping scandals to match-fixing conspiracies, just about every organized sport has been brought into disrepute one way or the other. Think esports is immune to this kind of stigma? Think again. Pro-level esports might be a fairly new phenomenon, but it’s not been without its fair share of cheating scandals. Below, we spotlight five you might not have heard about.

5. PUBG and the Radar Hack

PUBG is a fairly new arrival on the esports scene, first becoming popular in 2018. Despite this, it didn’t take long for this battle royale to be tarnished by a cheating scandal. The case in question involved a game called the Radar Hack. This game exploit allowed players to identify where every other player was on the map at any given time, without giving away their own location. Naturally, this went against the strategic nature of PUBG. Many players were punished with in-game bans, with a dozen pros being ditched because of their use of the cheat.

4. Dota 2’s Mouse Macro Exploit

Dota 2 is a notoriously difficult MOBA game. If you want to succeed at this game, you’ll need to move fast, and that’s after you’ve mastered the fiendishly tricky in-game mechanics. Mouse macros have long been used by players looking to speed up their play. South American team Thunder Predator was found to have been using mouse macros to edge out the competition back in 2018. They were quickly locked out of being able to participate in professional tournaments, although they’ve since been allowed to return to pro-level play. Nonetheless, the controversy marred the reputation. It’s little wonder they recently decided to rebrand as Thunder Awaken. Interested in seeing how Thunder Awaken is getting on nowadays? You can find a full list of esports teams profiles here.

3. Shaiiko Raises Eyebrows

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Stéphane “Shaiiko” Lebleu was once considered one of the most capable players in Rainbow 6 esports. However, back in 2017, he was banned from participating in ESL events for two years. Why? Organizers grew suspicious due to Shaiiko’s fast-paced gameplay, with his reaction speed impossible to explain. A thorough investigation was launched and ultimately, ESL organizers decided to dish out that punishing two-year ban.

2. A Fortnite Favorite Falls Foul of Epic Games

Jarvis “Jarvis” Khattri was considered the darling of Fortnite. He was a popular streamer on YouTube and Twitch, regularly attracting six-figure viewing figures. However, Fortnite admins didn’t respond well to some of the content Jarvis was putting out. What got Epic Games so riled up? It wasn’t scandalous language or incendiary comments. Rather, Jarvis was regularly letting his fans know about in-game exploits and hacks, advising thousands of Fortnite players how they could cheat the game.

1. Asubu Frost Get Fined

This scandal dates back to the early days of the League of Legends World Championship. During the quarter-final stage, TSM was matched against Azubu Frost. Although fairly evenly matched, Azubu Frost seemed to gain a significant edge over their competition. What caused the unexpected upswing in Azubu Frost’s performance? Just about every team member was spotted catching glances at the monitors of their rivals. The Korean team was swiftly punished for their actions, ending up with a disqualification and a $30,000 fine.

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