[s]event[/s]
On 6th to 9th of January the LAN festival OptiHack were held in Sweden. GosuGamers were the hosting the StarCraft tournament and the Swedish qualifications to GosuGamers Nordic League. The LAN festival was located in Scandinavium, Gothenburg and featured over 2000 participants. One of the main reason OptiHack got so popular was because they announced prize money worth a total of 100,000 SEK (~10 759 €). Various players and teams (mTw.ATI, Skolpojkarna, embrace) from OptiHack who were guaranteed prize money for winning the tournaments reports that they have not received their prize money at all.
The Swedish Starcraft player Fredrik "TreK" Nelson who won the StarCraft tournament by beating Mats "KeNKa" Kleredal in the grand final has not received his money either. He says to GosuGamers that it was expected. "It usually turns out like this when money are involved." He states that the only one to really trust is DreamHack, but that it took him three months to get the money. In Sweden these things have happened before. Another known Swdish event called Nollelva (011) have not given out their fully prize money to the winners. Neither did OsloLAN, the Norwegian LAN.
How to solve this issue? Do a player have to be ready and to expect that their prize money might not be handed out? Is a signed contract before the event really necessary for the companies to do what they promise? Issues like this really shows that it is definitely not run on a professional level. Money might not always be the reason you play, but how are the gamers supposed to keep take part in big tournaments with media coverage when the organisation behind it can not keep what they promise? Hopefully something will be done to stop this in the future, signed contracts, lawyears or whatever it takes.
On 5th to 8th of May a whole new LAN festival will take place in Sweden. Whether it is a good or a bad sign, the LAN called RixHack will be held in the same city as OptiHack last winter - Gothenburg. Behind the LAN festival stands Rix Telecom, one of the biggest telecommunication companies in the world. RixHack have promised that they will hand out the prize money in cash directly after the tournaments, which hopefully will result in the players getting what they deserve.
1. 9,000 SEK (978 €)
2. 4,000 SEK (434 € )
3. 2,000 SEK (217 € )tIn total the prize money for all tournaments are 250,000 SEK (~26 897 €) and it is most likely that the money actually will be handed out, since Rix Telecom had a capital worth of 30 million SEK. But as you can see in other LAN events, you never know.
Links
What.se - Source (Swedish)
Fragbite.se - Source (Swedish)
Today What.se announced that OptiHack Data AB have been put into bankruptcy. The winners of the game tournaments still have not got their prize money and will most likely never get them. This is a big setback for the Swedish E-Sport LAN scene, but is not the first time something like that has happened.
On 6th to 9th of January the LAN festival OptiHack were held in Sweden. GosuGamers were the hosting the StarCraft tournament and the Swedish qualifications to GosuGamers Nordic League. The LAN festival was located in Scandinavium, Gothenburg and featured over 2000 participants. One of the main reason OptiHack got so popular was because they announced prize money worth a total of 100,000 SEK (~10 759 €). Various players and teams (mTw.ATI, Skolpojkarna, embrace) from OptiHack who were guaranteed prize money for winning the tournaments reports that they have not received their prize money at all.
StarCraft winner TreK also without prize money
The Swedish Starcraft player Fredrik "TreK" Nelson who won the StarCraft tournament by beating Mats "KeNKa" Kleredal in the grand final has not received his money either. He says to GosuGamers that it was expected. "It usually turns out like this when money are involved." He states that the only one to really trust is DreamHack, but that it took him three months to get the money. In Sweden these things have happened before. Another known Swdish event called Nollelva (011) have not given out their fully prize money to the winners. Neither did OsloLAN, the Norwegian LAN.
Solution - signed contracts?
How to solve this issue? Do a player have to be ready and to expect that their prize money might not be handed out? Is a signed contract before the event really necessary for the companies to do what they promise? Issues like this really shows that it is definitely not run on a professional level. Money might not always be the reason you play, but how are the gamers supposed to keep take part in big tournaments with media coverage when the organisation behind it can not keep what they promise? Hopefully something will be done to stop this in the future, signed contracts, lawyears or whatever it takes.
RixHack coming up next for the Swedes
On 5th to 8th of May a whole new LAN festival will take place in Sweden. Whether it is a good or a bad sign, the LAN called RixHack will be held in the same city as OptiHack last winter - Gothenburg. Behind the LAN festival stands Rix Telecom, one of the biggest telecommunication companies in the world. RixHack have promised that they will hand out the prize money in cash directly after the tournaments, which hopefully will result in the players getting what they deserve.
SC:BW prize money
1. 9,000 SEK (978 €)
2. 4,000 SEK (434 € )
3. 2,000 SEK (217 € )tIn total the prize money for all tournaments are 250,000 SEK (~26 897 €) and it is most likely that the money actually will be handed out, since Rix Telecom had a capital worth of 30 million SEK. But as you can see in other LAN events, you never know.
Links
What.se - Source (Swedish)
Fragbite.se - Source (Swedish)
