Fnatic reports competitive integrity breach at TI11

Fnatic has provided Valve with an official report questioning the tournament’s competitive integrity in the wake of the team’s defeat against Gaimin Gladiator, which eliminated them from The International 2022.

The soundproofing at the venue seemed to have affected the outcome of a vital match during The International 2022, adding more drama off the screen. Patrik “cArn” Sättermon, Chief Gaming Officer and co-owner of Fnatic asserted that the Gaimin Gladiators altered their game plan throughout the match after hearing the comments from the casters.

Team GG’s alleged exploitation of the soundproofing issue, according to Patrik, cost them their TI11 spot. The audio in the space was so loud that players could hear the casters and even their opponents’ in-game sounds. In order to substantiate his assertions, Patrik highlighted the GG player’s tweet and interview. During an interview with Russian casters, Gaimin Gladiator player Anton “dyrancho” Shkredov said that he could hear everything that the caster said during the match. Additionally, Goonsquad carry player Charlie ‘Charlie’ Arat claimed that he heard Melchior ‘Seleri’ Hillenkamp making a play on the basis of information the casters provided.

There are reportedly no soundproof booths at TI this year, and multiple players have claimed that they can hear the commentators, which gives the English-speaking players an advantage. On the other hand, team director Paolo “KTM” Bago and coach Lee “SunBhistatemente” Jeong-jae both stated that they did not hold GG accountable for Fnatic’s early elimination from the competition. Meanwhile, Glaimin Gladiator, who were selected as a stack in February and went on to maintain their position as one of the top teams in Dota’s most competitive area, have already been ousted from T11 following a painful loss to OG in the lower bracket.

Will Valve respond?

Fnatic isn’t keen on getting their opponents to spill blood. The team’s goal is instead to raise awareness about the vulnerability, according to its official statement. It’s possible that Valve will respond and impose penalties, with the most minor being draft penalties, which was the case in this tournament against PSG.LGD.

Although they might theoretically create an exception, Valve hasn’t traditionally imposed penalties or forced teams to replay or rebuild matches, and there aren’t any established regulations or precedents for such a penalty. However, neither Valve nor PGL has made any announcements regarding the concern. The soundproofing problem has already been momentarily fixed by the tournament organizers by reducing the caster audio at the live event. The International 2022 will continue in the contentious venue, the Suntec Convention Center, for two more days before moving to the Singapore Indoor Stadium for the final two days of competition.

Header:ESL | Adela Sznajder