Confusion, Strike, Abort – Overwatch Escalation

In professional eSports games, there have been many different, sometimes absurd situations in the past, but this one is something special.

Recently, there was an incident that has never happened before in this form. Two teams clashed during a match to such an extent that they finally refused to continue playing. The game was stopped. What had happened?

Ex Oblivione and 01 Esports drop out of Summer Series

The teams of Ex Oblivione and 01 eSports caused the scandal, which is actually not one, at the finals of the Overwatch Contenders Summer Series 2022. Fans had gathered in front of the screens to watch exciting matches. The eSports bets were placed, everything was ready.

The match between Munich eSports and 01 Esports was scheduled in the bracket finals series of the EU tournament. The broadcast started smoothly. Munich eSports caught a creamy start and directly won three maps in a row. A comfortable 3:0 lead was the result.

Administrators continue match as Best of Seven

Afterwards, the administrators continued the match unabated. First-to-Four appeared on the screen. The rule is equivalent to the “Best of Seven” mode. This means that the team wins the match which first scored four points (maps).

01 Esports now really got into the game and could reduce the deficit to 2:3. Suddenly there was tension in the game again, but only for a short time. The administrators suddenly stopped the game, because they thought that the game should have been a First-to-Three (Best of Five). The victory was awarded to Munich eSports. The broadcast continued with an Upper Final match.

The lead administrator told the teams via audio file, “There was a typo on our GameBattles page, but according to our rules for this particular match, this should be a First-to-Three.”

Screenshot and confirmations refute the statement

Immediate objection came from both teams. Both eSports clans were able to prove that they had received rules information about a “Best of Seven” game in advance. The game rules were confirmed several times by both sides.

After the audio file was circulated, a Munich eSports player asked, “So we’re still playing?”. Of course, this was denied by the administrator, which caused loud laughter in the round.

Ex Oblivione shows solidarity

In the following Upper Final match, the match between Ex Oblivione and 01 Esports was on the agenda, in which the players of Ex Oblivione immediately showed solidarity with the opponent.

The match was started with a Torbjörn one-vs-one on Nepal. Afterwards, the coordinators threatened with punitive measures and the revocation of all prizes. They also threatened disqualification for the next tournament.

Ex Oblivione then issued a statement saying that they refused to continue playing under these circumstances. The lack of communication was affecting competitiveness. Real gaming was no longer possible. The EU Contenders broadcast was then switched to a test pattern.

Finally, host Dusttin Bowerman contacted the fans to inform them that the EU Contenders Summer Series 2022 broadcast would finally be cancelled. The inglorious end of a great tournament, and that only because of a small mistake.

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