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Less than two weeks out from The International 2025 in Hamburg, one of the most consistent Dota 2 teams of the past few years has dropped a bombshell. Gaimin Gladiators announced they would be withdrawing from the tournament, but what should have been a straightforward update has quickly turned into a messy back-and-forth between the organisation and its own players.

The official word from Gaimin Gladiators

On August 23, Gaimin Gladiators released a formal statement confirming their withdrawal from TI 2025. The org said it came after “extensive discussions” with its Dota 2 roster and player representatives, and claimed the team had expressed a preference to compete independently rather than under the GG banner.

“Despite our best efforts, the team’s representatives communicated the players’ preference to compete independently,” GG explained. “Due to rules governing roster changes, we could not guarantee a stable or eligible lineup for this year’s TI. Under these circumstances, formally withdrawing was the only visible course of action.”

GG co-founder and president Nick Cuccovillo also shared his own words on social media, saying things had “escalated” and that the organisation never wanted it to come to this point. He also mentioned legal constraints stopping them from saying more right now but promised a more transparent update when possible.

Quinn pushes back

Not long after, Gaimin Gladiators midlaner Quinn Callahan (better known in the scene as Quinn) posted his own thread, and it paints a very different picture.

According to Quinn, the players never requested to withdraw. In fact, he says they made it clear in writing that they were “ready, willing and able” to play under the Gaimin Gladiators name. The decision, he stressed, was made “unilaterally by Gaimin Gladiators.”

“There are some outstanding issues between us and Gaimin Gladiators that necessitated that we retain legal counsel,” Quinn explained. “That being said, the decision to withdraw from The International was made unilaterally by Gaimin Gladiators.”

This directly contradicts GG’s official statement and raises big questions about what really went down behind the scenes.

Former staff and community reactions

The situation has also caught the attention of former GG staff. @_JustCallMeCait, who previously worked with the organisation, responded to Nick’s post with scepticism:

“Quinn is honest and wouldn’t lie about it,” Cait wrote, adding that the org’s recent roster drops already raised eyebrows. She urged GG to be upfront with fans: “That’s what they want, just honesty.”

The wider Dota community has been quick to side with the players. “We support you, not the org,” one fan wrote, while another highlighted just how crushing it must feel for players to lose their TI shot: “Every Dota pro player dreams to play at TI, and then the chance is taken away… must be so hard.”

Even Team Liquid coach William “Blitz” Lee chimed in, calling the situation “genuinely wtf” and one of the most shocking things he’s seen in Dota if the players’ version is true.

What happens next?

Regardless of which version is closer to the truth, the outcome remains the same: Gaimin Gladiators won’t be at TI 2025. That leaves Valve scrambling to fill the gap just days before the event kicks off.

Dota analyst Ben “Noxville” Steenhuisen shared data on which teams are best positioned to step in. OG looks to be the favourite as the strongest Western Europe side that narrowly missed out on qualification, but other names like Yakult Brothers could also be in the running depending on roster stability and travel logistics.

The end of an era?

For Gaimin Gladiators, the withdrawal brings an abrupt halt to what had been a remarkable run at The International. The org finished second in both TI 2023 and TI 2024, pocketing nearly $800,000 across the two years and earning a reputation as one of the scene’s powerhouses.

Now, just as fans expected another deep run, the team finds itself sidelined entirely, and with both the players and the organisation pointing fingers at each other, the future of GG’s Dota division looks very uncertain.

For now, all eyes are on who replaces them at TI 2025, and whether Gaimin Gladiators can rebuild trust with fans after this public fallout.