WePlay Esports Signs Up As Newest Member of ESIC
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has been a focal point of the news in recent times and it seems that the drive for greater transparency and fairness in esports is attracting plenty of companies to rally to the cause. WePlay Esports have become the latest organisation to officially become a member of ESIC.
The Ukrainian esports organisation is based out of Kyiv, although it also has offices in Wilmington in the United States and they have been responsible for organising a number of tournaments across different esports including Dota 2, CS:GO, League of Legends and World of Tanks.
After hosting the successful We Play Dota 2 League across a number of years, the company also hosted their first Valve-sponsored Minor, with the Bukovel Minor back in January this year, which is a part of the esteemed Dota Pro Circuit.
Cooperated With ESIC
In a press release issued by WePlay Esports, the company stated that they have already been fulsomely cooperating with ESIC during a number of recent investigations by the company, including the recent CS:GO “coach bug” investigation that is still rumbling on.
As a result, WePlay Esport stated that;
“Officially joining ESIC was a natural step for our media holding company that, in 2021 and 2022, plans to expand to new esports titles and create new tournament circuits”.
Speaking about joining the fight against esports corruption with their membership of ESIC, the general manager of WePlay Esports, Oleh Humeniuk, stated:
“We are happy to have such a formidable ally in the enforcement of fair play in WePlay Esports events. Participation in ESIC shows to both players and partners that we are taking competitive integrity very seriously and apply a zero-tolerance policy to match manipulations of any kind.”
Similarly, the Commissioner at the Esports Integrity Commission, Ian Smith stated:
“As a tournament operator that has been engaging with ESIC for some time, we are happy to have WePlay transition into full membership with ESIC. WePlay joins a prestigious list of tournament operators who have pledged a commitment to standardising an approach to competitive integrity in esports. WePlay’s commitment to ESIC is a reflection of the fact that WePlay values a safe and healthy esports industry.”
A Sign of Things to Come?
Given the high profile of ESIC investigations in recent months, with the “coach bug” investigation and the continuing investigation into match-fixing across CS:GO to name but two, it is seeming increasingly likely that any esports organisation or tournament organiser is likely going to sign up as an ESIC member in future to ensure that they adhere to the conventions of fair play.
Already a number of major tournament organisers, including DreamHack, ESL and the Blast Pro Series have all signed up as members of ESIC, with ESL and DreamHack being members since 2017.
In addition, companies with links to esports betting have also signed up with ESIC as an anti-corruption supporter, including the likes of Luckbox, Loot.bet, GGBet and Unikrn.
What is abundantly clear is that the fight against corruption in esports is very definitely being taken to the tiny fraction of players that involve themselves in these activities and with every new organisation that signs up to ESIC, the opportunities for fraudulent activity in esports diminishes still further.