In recent days, the drama between NiP, Anonymo, and Flashpoint has become the focal point of attention for the global CS:GO community as well as in Vietnam. Taking place at a major and important tournament that has significant implications for qualifying for the Major at the end of the year, the handling of the situation by all parties involved has sparked much controversy and escalated the issue further.
The situation began during the match between NiP and Anonymo in Flashpoint season 3, the first RMR event of the year for the European region, on May 14. Right from the first map, NiP members reported experiencing loss issues, and after reviewing the problem and trying various solutions such as changing servers and connections, the match continued. However, after a few rounds in map 3 Mirage, NiP members encountered loss issues again and had to use their technical pause. At this point, although Anonymo suggested rescheduling the match to another day, the tournament admin refused and continuously asked NiP members to choose a server so the match could continue. Ultimately, NiP lost map 3 17-19 and fell into the lower bracket of the tournament.
“We lost to Anonymo, the playing conditions were really terrible, and I am truly disappointed with the amateur handling by FaceIT. GGWP.” – Dev1ce, the star who recently joined NiP, expressed right after the match.
Immediately after the match ended, NiP members complained about the tournament admin’s decisions, and the NiP organization also sent a request to Flashpoint to reconsider and redo the match. After reviewing the evidence and confirming the technical error from the organizers, Flashpoint decided to replay this match and allowed Anonymo to choose whether to replay the entire best-of-three or just the last map. This decision was also approved by Valve; however, Anonymo refused to replay on Sunday and asserted that they were forced by both Flashpoint and NiP to accept the rematch. NiP responded by calling Anonymo’s announcement “seriously misleading,” and their CEO Jonas Gundersen emphasized that NiP did not pressure any party and considered Anonymo’s claims to be lies, which was shameful.
“We (NiP organization – ND) are the ones who requested the rematch, not the players. They just wanted to be recognized that the playing conditions were unacceptable. They are willing to play whether in the upper or lower bracket.
We also did not pressure any party, and the lies in Anonymo’s announcement are truly shameful.” – Jonas Gundersen, CEO of NiP.
Conflicting information and accusations from both teams quickly stirred the global CS:GO community. The majority of opinions agree that Flashpoint is the party with the most faults for forcing the match to continue despite unresolved issues. Many supporters of Anonymo argue that this team should not have to replay since it was entirely the organizers’ fault and they won fairly; however, others argue that a rematch would ensure fairness for both sides, especially since this is a tournament within the RMR system counting towards qualification for the Stockholm Major scheduled for October.
“Last time we had internet issues at Flashpoint, we immediately moved to another location to be able to compete; of course, not all organizations have such conditions, but the internet is your own problem. They should not have proposed this rematch solution.” – FalleN, IGL of Team Liquid commented.
In the early hours of May 18, Flashpoint issued another announcement, confirming that map 3 of this match would be replayed on Tuesday, May 18. Flashpoint also stated that this decision was made after “contacting both teams and consulting with CSPPA (the Association of Professional CS:GO Players).” Flashpoint also apologized to both teams, players, and the community for this incident, admitting that their announcement on Sunday failed to convey “a full picture of what transpired” and noted that they have updated their regulations to prevent similar situations in the future.
This unfortunate incident will surely serve as a memorable lesson for both the organizers and the teams involved as they failed to control their emotions and made unprofessional comments. Hopefully, Flashpoint and other organizing bodies will learn from this experience to handle future tournaments more professionally.