The Dota 2 world has been shaken once again, this time by a massive lawsuit involving one of its most well-known organisations. Gaimin Gladiators have officially filed a $7.5 million CAD lawsuit against their former roster, following a dramatic fallout that led to the team withdrawing from The International 2025.
GG management claim reason for dispute relates to negatively impacted sponsor relationships and failure to hit deliverables. Official statement contained in the report. https://t.co/QlqZ4ZQatY pic.twitter.com/guWetOIpuT
— Richard Lewis (@RLewisReports) October 4, 2025
According to a report by veteran esports journalist Richard Lewis, the lawsuit was filed in the Ontario court system and specifically names Quinn “Quinn” Callahan, Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard Christensen, Erik “tOfu” Engel, and Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov as defendants. Interestingly, Arman “Malady” Orazbayev, who joined the team in April 2025, was not included in the filing.
The $7.5 Million Claim
Lewis’ report details that the initial claim seeks $7.5 million in damages, although that figure could change as the case progresses. The dispute traces back to a public breakdown between Gaimin Gladiators and their players in the lead-up to The International 2025, which resulted in the team withdrawing from the tournament entirely.
Image via Richard Lewis Report | https://richardlewis.substack.com/p/gaimin-gladiators-officially-file
The organisation stated that the players had threatened to underperform, cancelled their bootcamp less than a week before TI, and later expressed intent to compete independently under a different banner. Gaimin Gladiators’ management claimed that once the players obtained legal representation, negotiations failed and they could not field a team that had “threatened legal action” against them.
“At no point did the players accept any measures in order to attend The International,” the organisation told Richard Lewis. “They cancelled a bootcamp at significant cost to us; threatened on August 4th that they may not perform; and on August 7th communicated their wish to exit their agreement and compete independently.”
The Root of the Dispute
However, the lawsuit appears to go beyond tournament participation. Richard Lewis reported that Gaimin Gladiators are also alleging multiple contractual breaches, including failure to meet sponsor deliverables and inappropriate public behaviour.
The most notable incident dates back to October 2024, when Quinn Callahan made a controversial comment on stream directed at a Russian player:
“I guess you’re just Russian. It’s not your fault you’re born in a trash country.”
Following backlash, Gaimin Gladiators issued a statement reaffirming their zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination, while Quinn later apologised publicly. But according to Lewis’ sources, this remark had serious consequences behind the scenes, allegedly costing GG a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with Russian bookmaker Winline, estimated to be worth around $3 million.
“Comments from Quinn resulted in the loss of a sponsorship in the mid-seven figures,” Gaimin Gladiators said in their statement to Richard Lewis. “There are over five separate instances of inappropriate communications and behaviour toward specific demographics. The dispute relates to various clauses, including 18 months of unfulfilled social and sponsorship deliverables.”
Lewis’ report also mentions that players collectively missed “dozens” of sponsor-related social media deliverables, further straining GG’s business relationships.
Fallout and Next Steps
This legal case marks one of the most significant disputes in Dota 2 history, involving both reputational damage and financial loss. It’s a rare instance of an esports organisation taking its players to court over alleged breaches of conduct and contract.
Gaimin Gladiators were one of the top contenders heading into The International 2025, having built a reputation as one of the most dominant teams in recent years. But instead of competing on stage, they’re now locked in what could be a lengthy and highly public legal battle.
As of publication, the players named in the lawsuit have declined to comment. Richard Lewis noted that his publication is in the process of obtaining the full legal filing from the Ontario courts to verify the details in full.