Team Aster Dota players claim they’re owed prize money

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for Chinese Dota and this time, it’s the Team Aster Dota players and a coach that have something to say. In a series of posts on Weibo (Chinese social media), two players accused the organization of delaying payments including their contracted salaries as well as any prize money. From cheating accusations to not receiving payments, it seems that Dota 2 players in China just can’t catch a break at the moment!

Accusations from Team Aster Dota Players

A couple of days ago, it emerged on Weibo that Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng and Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang have not received money that they are owed. Neither player nor coach has specified the amount they are owed or how long it has been delayed for. However, since they have decided to make the requests public, it would seem that private attempts have fallen on deaf ears.

It’s certainly worth noting that both LaNm and Ori are no longer working for Aster. After placing 4th at The International 2022 (and winning a prize of $1,135,835), Ori retired from professional Dota. He certainly wasn’t the only pro player to leave the scene in 2022 but his absence will certainly be felt by the team.

Similarly, LaNm coached the Team Aster Dota players from August to November 2022, meaning that he played a significant role in their TI success. While he has yet to announce any future plans to play or coach pro Dota, it goes without saying that he should have received his pay.

Team Aster Pro Dota Success

Team Aster has seen a monumental rise to success in Chinese Dota over the last few years. While they’ve consistently struggled on the international stage, they’ve come very close to taking PSG.LGD’s crown on a number of occasions. All of this success should have translated into salaries and prizes for the Team Aster Dota players.

It must be said, however, that this is not the first and probably not the last time pro Dota players have not received their pay. In fact, this issue has been prevalent in the esports scene since its inception. Most recently, players in the thriving South American scene accused their DPC organizer of withholding payments for a number of months.

No Statement Yet

There has been no official statement from Aster regarding the status of player payments. It seems safe to say that a thorough investigation will need to be conducted. It’s also not clear exactly how long the Aster players and coach have been waiting for their salaries. It also has not been confirmed that their TI winnings are the prize money they are waiting for. However, this is the last prize Ori and LaNm won before leaving the org.