Valve Speaks About KuKu and TNC Predator Situation

Valve has released an official statement regarding the controversy surrounding TNC Predator and the upcoming Chongqing Major. The developers have officially banned KuKu “KuKu” Palad from attending, independently from the hosts’ demands.

Valve Says TNC Predator Should Have Known Better

Almost 24 hours ago, Valve responded to all the pent-up speculations about the future of the Dota 2 Chongqing Major. While the company had taken its time to prepare an answer, one finally came and it meant nothing good for TNC Predator, the official outfit caught in the midst of the issue.

With TNC Predator recently reporting that the 40% penalty would not apply to their roster should they choose to use a stand-in, Valve took a rather stern position against the team and the way they had handled the problem.

First of all, we are sincerely apologizing to the whole Dota community for the troubles this issue has caused. We are respecting Valve’s decision regarding the matter.

— TNC Predator (@TNCPredator) December 4, 2018

After having taken their time, Valve have decided to issue a rather stronger reprimand than their previous warning against disrespectful and derogatory remarks towards fellow players. This time, TNC Predator bore the brunt of it.
The company did specifically look into the claims that Chongqing would ban KuKu and that the player’s safety wouldn’t be guaranteed, and dismissed those concerns.

We’ve been following the recent situation regarding TNC and the Chongqing Major and how it has unfolded. First, for clarification, Kuku is not banned by the Chinese government. While there is a lot of anxiety around his attendance and problems it may create, we do not believe his presence creates a real security threat.

However, the official statement quickly changed tone, explaining that Valve was prepared to step in, while still expecting teams to handle the issues themselves in the first time. The company deplored the way TNC responded to the problem whereby the team’s manager tried to deceive the community thus aggravating the situation. Since the announcement TNC Predator apologized and took measures on their own.

The penalties/fines imposed by the organization (TNC) to Kuku and Paulo (Manager) will still apply. A new team manager will be assigned to the team.

This has been a learning experience for us and we will continue to work harder to be a better organization.

-TNC Management

— TNC Predator (@TNCPredator) December 4, 2018

Valve mentioned the original request of the team from last Tuesday when TNC Predator asked the company if DPC points penalty would still apply with the studio responding in the negative. However, after re-consideration, Valve explained that the way TNC Predator had handled the issue has now prompted the company to deck 20% of TNC’s current points.

In addition to being required to replace Kuku, we will also be docking 20% of TNC’s current DPC points. The player restriction does not affect future tournaments.

Valve reiterated their position that it was unprofessional for TNC Predator to cover up for their team members, avoiding responsibility or trying to mitigate the issue by de facto precipitating the problem. Valve specifically said that TNC Predator’s way of handling the issue had affected the entire community.

As a result, KuKu is banned from attending the Chongqing Major, the sole decision remaining with Valve, the official statement specified. This ban will not affect upcoming events.

We haven’t been able to establish if English casters slated to attend will opt out of the competition now. Valve did come up with a well-argued response, which pointed out the faults of the team.