Players file report, allege unfair advantage in Dota 2 tournament

Fnatic has filed a claim alleging that their opponents, Gaimin Gladiators, could hear the commentators and gained an unfair advantage.

Professional esports team Fnatic filed a formal report concerning “unfair advantages” that the group believes helped them get eliminated early in the world championship of Dota 2, The International 2022.

First reported by Dot Esports, multiple Dota 2 players and commentators have spoken about an issue with the stage design of The International 2022, which is being held in Singapore. The issue? Some players could very clearly hear the commentators while playing.

Some context: in an esports match, the two teams are supposed to be working with only knowledge gained in-game. Enemy positions, enemy purchases, cooldowns, and more are not readily available knowledge to the players unless they make use of in-game options, such as Wards to discover where enemies are, and keeping a mental checklist of what the enemy team is doing and when.

Commentators, however, have all of that information at a glance — they can readily see both teams and what they have, both in terms of items and cooldowns, as well as positions on the map. This “true sight” allows commentators to explain what is happening to viewers at home — so when some players gain the ability to hear what the commentators are saying, it can cause an imbalance of power between the competitors.

The International is a yearly Dota 2 tournament that invites players worldwide to compete for a share of nearly $28 million AUD. Picture: Valve

That’s what Fnatic is alleging in its formal complaint, and worst of all, the team is citing their opponents who basically confirmed that it was happening. In an interview, Gaimin Gladiator team member “dyrachyo” stated in a post-match interview that they could hear the commentators clear as day during the match.

This was confirmed by other teams as well, such as PSG.LGD team member “XinQ” reported that they could hear the casters, but could not understand them as the team doesn’t speak English.

“We have filed a formal report after learning that the opponent in our elimination game at TI11 were able to hear the production of the match, and according to themselves leveraged from that information in their decision-making,” stated Fnatic co-owner Patrik Sättermon. “As a former player, I am very frustrated that such integrity issues are still not prevented, especially on the absolute biggest stage of the sport. Our intention is solely to raise awareness about something that can be as game breaking as dream crushing for the athletes.”

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.