StarCraft II Professional Owed US$23,000 from Missing CEO

Here’s a disheartening start to the New Year. Professional StarCraft II player, Ko “HyuN” Hyun from Quantic Gaming eSports, alleges that his missing CEO still owes him US$23,000 (approximately SG$29,000).  A community fundraiser is now in effect to help support the young player and hopefully fund legal fees for a lawyer.

The 25-year-old Korean star had not received his paycheck nor prize money in three months, prompting him to ask his CEO, 23-year-old Canadian Simon Boudreault, about it. This Skype conversation (via The Daily Dot), their primary means of conducting business, tells all. Boudreault has since gone missing on 17 December, resulting in the collapse of his company.

It now appears that HyuN isn’t alone. Other staff members, including former employees, are also owed money ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. The final tally comes in at over US$40,000.

John Clark, who worked in marketing for Quantic, says that Boudreault disappeared after their League of Legends team fell apart. They were working together to create new revenue streams for Quantic, such as specialty computer desks for eSports players, but things never materialized.  Before he went missing, Boudreault said he was going to get a biopsy on a potentially cancerous lump on his lung.

HyuN currently does not have a lawyer but is looking at options. In the meantime, Quantic Gaming’s staff is now promoting a fundraiser for him. The featured matches have concluded earlier (videos of it seem unlikely at this point) but donations are still welcome – click on the banner at the bottom of the page.

This isn’t the first instance of players being taken advantage of in eSports history. It’s hoped that this will help prioritize the implementation of player agencies for legal representation and protection.

If you’re now in need of cheer, then perhaps this will help.

Source: The Daily Dot Via: Reddit
Image: TeamLiquid