In a surprising turn of events, Evil Geniuses have released their entire Dota 2 lineup and staff after the team’s sudden exit from The International 12 a few weeks ago. The team manager has confirmed that all of their Dota 2 players are now exploring opportunities for the 2024 season.
Through her personal Twitter account, EG team manager Vitoria “Guashineen” Otero recently disclosed that a major layoff is taking place within the team. They have let go of everyone from the Dota 2 team, including the players and coach who competed in TI12, and herself.
“It is that time of the year, the shuffle time!” wrote Guashineen. “I’m personally not sure if EG will have a Dota 2 roster this year, but we are all parting ways with the organization and seeking a new future. Today, many layoffs happened at EG, and it is very unlikely that they will acquire a new roster.”
Furthermore, she admitted that she does not know whether the team is simply undergoing a major restructuring or will completely withdraw from Dota 2 competition, with the latter now being heavily discussed on the internet. So far, EG has not issued any official statement regarding this matter.
This decision is certainly surprising, considering that a year ago they left the competitive Dota 2 scene in the United States and moved to South America, citing a desire to participate in a more sustainable competition. At that time, they also released their entire lineup, including Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, Abed “Abed” Yusop, Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko, Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen, Tal “Fly” Aizik, and coach Kanishka “BuLba” Sosale, who then performed well in their respective new teams.
EG has held a strong position in American Dota for nearly ten years, securing victory in the Aegis of Champions during TI5 as a North American team and staying significant in a Dota Pro Circuit that has progressively intensified. Nonetheless, their business methods have faced scrutiny in recent times, especially in relation to incidents concerning their former players and staff.
Apart from the Dota 2 team, they are also facing uncertainty with their Valorant roster, which has yet to provide an explanation regarding the status of its players following their issues with the team’s management. Two months ago, they were reportedly forcing the players and coaches of their Valorant team to leave or accept new contracts with lower salaries after winning Valorant Champions 2023 in Los Angeles, United States.
