Former EnVision Owner Reportedly Owes Overwatch Team Thousands

Zac Cameron,

August 21, 2018 12:43 AM

It seems that lower tier esports are still plagued by unpaid teams and unfortunate circumstances.

The Overwatch team for EnVision Esports may have disbanded some time ago, but it seems the players and staff are still chasing their final paychecks. Former CEO Artur Minacov confirmed with Dot Esports that players were yet to be paid, stating that “Their last month was not paid mostly because of frustration on my side for investing so much cash, for clearly nothing in return from having a professional esports organization in Overwatch, however, all staff that are due a payment will be resolved over the next 30 to 45 days.”

The EnVision roster was dropped after finishing third in the first season of Overwatch Contenders North America, citing an apparent lack of support for the lower tier Overwatch scene. Former staff reported that they are owed thousands of dollars, and apparently lawyers are now involved in pursuing the unpaid debts.

Former coach of the EnVision roster, Robert “roflgator” Malecki, has stated that this kind of problem is not unique to EnVision, but rather a widespread issue in the lower tier Overwatch scene. “I’ve had organizations take months to pay tournament winnings because they were holding the money to collect interest on it,” Malecki said. “Payments on some teams were completely random, and often weeks late. One organization stopped working with the team and told us all that they would pay us when the sponsor money came in. It took over two months to get it. Can you imagine having rent and bills to pay, and having no idea when your paycheck is coming in?”

It seems the widespread problem of pay disputes and failed contracts hasn’t changed over the years, with reports of this kind of thing happening in the early days of other titles such as League of Legends and Dota 2. For more Overwatch action, check out the schedule for the All-Star Weekend, here.



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