Chaos Ensues as Gaimin Gladiators Withdrawal from The International 2025 Sparks Revolt

The ongoing drama involving European esports organization Gaimin Gladiators and their participation in The International 2025 shows no signs of resolution. And with less than two weeks remaining, no official replacement team has been announced to compete in Germany.

As widely discussed, the controversy stems from a dispute between the organization’s management and its players and coaching staff, ultimately leading to GG’ withdrawal from TI. The affected players and coach have stated they are seeking to secure their right to compete.

This situation is shaping up to be one of the most complex legal disputes in Dota 2 esports history, particularly for The International. Since TI began in 2011, this is the first time an organization has issued a statement contradicting its own team, raising suspicions among fans and veteran esports observers.

The only available updates are on social media platform X, where the community follows official statements from both GG and its personnel. So far, organization owner Nick Cuccovillo has drawn community backlash for his dismissive response to star player Quinn “Quinn” Callahan’s statement.

Timeline of the conflict

The conflict arose around August 21–22, 2025, when GG unexpectedly notified Valve of its decision to withdraw from TI 2025. Valve responded with an official statement on social media, citing internal conflicts that prevented the players and the organization from reaching an agreement to participate.

Official statement Gaimin Gladiators pic.twitter.com/XGXSLHIJ4l

— GG | Gaimin Gladiators ⚔️ (@GaiminGladiator) August 23rd, 2025

A day later, on August 23, Valve announced it had begun searching for a replacement team to fill GG’s invited slot. This was confirmed by GG and Nick on their social media; the latter explained that there is an ongoing internal issues between the players and the organization that forced the withdrawal. He added that management would soon disclose full details due to legal considerations.

The situation escalated that same day when Quinn publicly denied the organization’s claims. On his personal account, the American player stated that the withdrawal decision was made unilaterally without player input. He and his teammates expressed willingness to set aside differences and compete under the GG banner.

Along with Quinn’s response, additional reports emerged indicating that internal disagreements also involved the coaching staff. Specifically, management allegedly tried to remove coach Aske “Cy-” Larssen, whom the players wanted to keep, further intensifying the conflict.

In light of the recent statement from Gaimin Gladiators about the  withdrawal from The International 2025 in Hamburg, we believe it  necessary to provide  some clarification.

— Quinn Callahan (@ccncdota2) August 23rd, 2025

Quinn’s statement and subsequent reports quickly drew sympathy from fellow professionals, including Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling (coach of Team Falcons) and Filipe “Astini” Ribeiro (coach of Parivision). They criticized GG for lack of transparency and urged the affected players and staff to seek legal assistance.

To date, neither Valve nor GG has responded to Quinn’s claims. However, TI rules state that players and coaches involved in the dispute cannot switch sides under any circumstances, and qualified or invited teams cannot change their registered roster.

A possibility of financial woes

Although no explicit reason has been given for the organization’s refusal to let its squad compete in TI 2025, sources close to the team suggest financial issues may be involved, alongside what appears to be one-sided management decisions.

It is suspected that bonus negotiations between the squad and management for this year’s TI stalled due to financial instability, likely linked to the organization’s activities in the crypto market—specifically, the GAIMIN Token (GMRX), launched in March 2024 and promoted as part of its business line.

Amid volatile crypto market since the early week of January 2025, GG’s finances came under scrutiny following reports of contract mishandling, with initial reports emerged from its CS2 division and later extending to its now-troubled Dota 2 team.

Furthermore, comments from former GG player Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov, who left the team in October 2024, raised public suspicion last January. He claimed he was a victim of nepotism by former GG co-founder Joseph Turner, which led to his departure after losing an internal vote.

Although no official reports have followed, the current value of GMRX may reflect the severity of behind-the-scenes issues. The token’s all-time high of around $0.034 shortly after launch has plummeted to approximately $0.0000466—a drop of over 95% in just over a year.

The Future of the Gladiators

The current situation is deeply concerning for Dota 2 fans, especially given the team’s consistent high performance from 2022 to 2024. While veteran teams like OG, Team Secret, and Navi struggled to compete at the highest level, GG started off as an underdog and rose to become a top team.

Given the current management’s actions, it is likely the current squad will not remain with the organization and may consider outside offers after TI ends. With players like Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov, Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard, and Quinn are mostly looking for new opportunities, major organizations will certainly be interested in acquiring them.