The year 2023 has been a busy one for the Chinese Dota 2 scene. Some of the best teams have been in the news for the wrong reasons, including allegations of match-fixing and cheating, and Team Aster has also entered the mix.
Earlier today, Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng and Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang spoke on Weibo regarding delayed payments from Aster, including salary and prize money payouts. Soon thereafter, another former player, Pan “Fade” Yi, claimed he is also owed payments from 2020.
LaNm and Ori departed from Aster in November 2022, shortly before the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit.
Since 2020, Aster has risen to the top of the Chinese Dota 2 scene, securing high-place finishes at The International 2021 and 2022. Despite performing exceptionally in LAN events, the players’ claims would make it look like Aster could have a backlog of payments owed to its staff.
In late 2022, the South American Dota 2 players were left in the dark by tournament organizers and were yet to receive their prize money for over six months. Payment issues used to run rampant in the early days of esports back in the 2000s, directly affecting players and organizations.
At the time of writing, Aster has not released an official statement. Dot Esports has reached out to Team Aster for comment.