Multiple teams drop out of CSGOEmpire Cup following CS2 Major controversy

Several teams originally set to battle it out for their share of the 50,000 prize pool at CSGOEmpire’s CS2 tournament are leaving one by one. 

Most have made public statements about their involvement at the event, following the PR nightmare that ensued during G2 and MOUZ’s encounter at the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024.

For those who missed it, thanks to a bizarre feud between gambling websites, people linked to CSGOEmpire flooded the stage during a quarter-final match. This has since led to dozens of analysts, casters, players, and gamers calling out CSGOEmpire, and skin-gambling websites as a whole. 

A collection of teams have since dropped off the roster list for the CSGOEmpire Cup starting April 3. Orgs like BLEED Esports blamed the “unsettling circumstances” at the Major as the reason they’d be missing out. 

Team 3DMAX publicly stated that the organization “strongly condemns” the actions that took place on March 29.

The list has been increasing as time has gone on, but for now, the rosters include the following:

CSGOEmpire has openly criticized G2’s sponsor CSGORoll for quite some time. The founder of Empire, Monarch, claimed that CSGORoll followed “predatory business practices” and claimed that it was running an “illegal operation.” Monarch publicly released an “open letter to the CSGO skin community” in May 2023, mainly taking aim at their rival CSGORoll throughout the “exposé."

Since then, there have been countless jabs from Monarch towards their skin-gambling rivals on social media. It all ultimately led us to where we are today. A collection of skin-gambling-related people stormed the stage and protested in other ways throughout the tournament.

One particular protester at the Copenhagen Major seemingly mocked George Floyd’s final words before his death at the hands of police officer Derek Michael Chauvin. The protester yelled “I can’t breathe” while he was being escorted off the premises. This occurred after the protester had handcuffed himself to a movable barrier and was in no way having his breath restricted by security, as shown by his own recording. 

These protests have been publicly supported by Monarch. The CSGOEmpire founder stated in a Kick Stream “No matter how many security guards (PGL) have, I will always get more people.”

The impact that this has left on the community might not have been what Monarch wanted. It seems it’s largely angered members of the CS2 community. There's also a chance Valve could take matters into its own hands like it has before.

Keep an eye on Esports.gg for more CS2 news and guides.