FACEIT shuts down prize payouts for Russian players

FACEIT esports platform is reportedly suspending all payments for Russian players due to sanctions that affect banking operations between European countries. Specifically, SWIFT restrictions were implemented in Russia due to its army invasion of Ukraine and a start of a full-fledged war between the geographical neighbors. 

Starting in August, no esports players from the Russian region will be able to receive their payments for the final placements in their FPL or FPLC ladders. This news has already been confirmed by a number of FACEIT employees and administrators.

Russian ban on FACEIT is not a single case

In April, FACEIT users from Russia and Belarus faced another constraint applied by the Ukrainian organization Natus Vincere, the owner of the largest FACEIT hub for CIS players — NAVINATION.

A NAVI kind of a league started at the end of 2020. For four dollars, players could join an eligible hub and compete for cash prizes. In addition, users were watched by the organization’s scouting department, which could “pull” any player for a test to enter the roster.

After the territory of Ukraine began to be hit by missiles from the above-mentioned countries, NAVINATION members were irrevocably excluded from the hub, and the project itself lost a significant part of the audience. If you look at the screenshot above, you will see that the total number of the hub’s participants before April 2022 was about 100,000 players. It was an excellent indicator for a CIS project.

After April 4, the situation changed significantly and the number of members dropped to the mark of 35,000 members.

An interesting thing was pointed out by upset FACEIT users — another hub named CIS league imposed similar sanctions immediately after the start of the active phase of the war back in February, while NAVI was still paying prizes to winners from these regions. Allegedly, the org paid out more than five thousand dollars.

As a justification, the organization said that it could not quickly terminate contracts with the sponsors of the hub. However, this statement doesn’t withstand when it comes to the realized payments, considering that all sponsors of the hub left the Russian market in February and March.

Outcome of the situation

In fact, the suspension of payments is a blow below the belt to the careers of many young esports athletes from Russia, who were able to make a living with FACEIT, even though they didn’t have an organization or team behind them. However, their situation can’t be compared to those in the country next to them who have to experience the ongoing war. 

Despite the fact that Russians won’t be able to receive their FACEIT earnings, they were still featured in the last season’s final standings. While there were no players from banned regions at the top of the FPL, the bulk of the FPLC’s top ten consisted of players from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. But because the last season concluded yesterday, it is not exactly clear whether the suspension will apply to money earned in this season, or if it will take effect with the new season.

Header credit: Faceit.com