A fan of Brood War may recall the Savior Match Fixing Scandal of 2010 and refer to it as the darkest moment of the scene's history. The unprecedented magnitude of the incident, which implicated several well-known professional Brood War players, including one of the best players to ever touch the game, left the entire community, from fan to team owner, entirely baffled. At the time, there were little who knew how to appropriately handle a situation that would leave a permanent stain on the scene.

What matches were fixed? Was this player actually playing his best during this game? This player wasn't playing up to par that night; did he also throw?

Countless questions circulated amongst the minds of a skeptical community, and the most successful esport at the time began to crumble beneath the suspicion.

Now here we are, almost five years later, in a situation that may seem similar at first glance, but different in both scale and implications. Nevertheless, the circumstances are dire for a scene that seemed primed for imminent growth.

As many may already know, Valve released an official statement regarding the match-fixing incident between the former iBUYPOWER and NetcodeGuides squads that was cracked open by The Daily Dot journalist, Richard Lewis. Published with their statement was their decision to ban the perpetrators from all official Valve-sponsored events, which naturally includes every major $250,000 tournament. The list of convicted offenders is as follows:


Duc "cud" Pham (ex-semi-pro)
Casey Foster (co-owner of NetcodeGuides)
Derek "dboorn" Boorn (ex-Torqued)
Sam "DaZeD" Marine (ex-iBP and co-owner of NetcodeGuides)
Braxton "swag" Pierce (ex-iBP)
Kevin "AZK" Larivière (ex-iBP)
Joshua "steel" Nissan (ex-iBP, Torqued)


Following suit, Esports Entertainment, more popularly referred to as ESEA, banned those convicted from its league for one year, with Erik "fl0m" Flom's squad subsequently dropping NetcodeGuides as their official sponsor.

The consequences of the ordeal will leave an enormous hole in the North American Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community as it continues to struggle to foster talent capable of rivaling Europe's. Three of the players involved represented the former iBUYPOWER squad who many expected to get scooped up by Evil Geniuses before the scandal made headlines. In them, North America will not only lose their current best team, but also the best in-game leader of the region in DaZeD, the young star swag, and a player who consistently performs against the very best the world has to offer, AZK. Additionally, the up-and-coming Torqued lineup will lose their own in-game leader and the highly regarded cameraman, steel, and another core member in dboorn.

To say the aftermath will set the region back a step may be an understatement, but the response from Valve, who took it upon themselves to further investigate the matter, was not only appropriate, but necessary. Following the cheating scandals that bore witness to professional European players being ousted and others barraged with accusations as a result, the global community has yet to fully recover from a skepticism that continues to swallow stream chats and forums alike.

When both of the above incidents are taken in tandem instead of separately, the situation begins to more similarly reflect that of the Brood War match-fixing scandal, and it is quite possibly one reason why Valve decided to take a more proactive role this time around. Rather than let the scene wither away due to a few bad apples, Valve took the required measures to ensure that the integrity of the scene remains intact, and thus supplied the community with another chance to flourish. Unlike Brood War, which experienced a steep decline due to reasons unrelated to the scandal, CS:GO is still an adolescent capable of growth spurts. With this involvement, and the hope that Valve further dedicates resources to ensure a stage for "integrity and fair play," the drama is sure to be put behind us, and North America can continue its quest to foster more talent for a chance at a championship on European soil.

A huge thanks must be given to Lewis, who published the initial story and spent an incredible amount of effort bringing it to the public's eye. Given the apathetic nature of the esports scene in general, the man must be praised for the initiative he undertook to break a story that many first looked upon with apprehensive eyes.

There are still many questions up in the air. The lone iBUYPOWER member not to be sanctioned, Tyler "Skadoodle" Latham, along with the ex-iBP stand-in, Spencer "Hiko" Martin, are now teamless. Both offer a plethora of experience and skill and are sure to find a new home soon, but with whom is a hot topic that will undoubtedly be speculated upon by the community in the coming days. Will Valve ever lift their bans for the convicted players, or will they keep them intact for life? Who will now take the former iBP squad's position as the best team in North America? Will it be CLG, C9, Team Liquid, or perhaps a lesser known team? When will we ever see a North American team in the finals of an international LAN tournament again? And, of course, who will observe our matches now that steel's gone?

There is something that must be said. This is the time for the community to show their resilience. This is the time for North American fraggers to feel the hunger. This is the time for stars to rise, to use this tribulation as a stepping stone, and to take a hold of the limelight that has presented itself. With matters now behind us, the future looks promising.