3DMAX Debt Allegations Top €1.5M After CYRILmp4 Takeover Falls Through

French outlets subsequently covered the claim, but that repetition should not be mistaken for independent confirmation of the number. Team-aAa reported the debt at more than €1.5 million, while E.SPORT.FR said the total could be approaching €2 million and attributed the current takeover reporting to Sheep Esports and KRL. Neither figure has been publicly established through 3DMAX accounts, a court ruling or another primary financial document.

The distinction matters because the underlying financial problems have stronger evidence behind them than the exact figure now being circulated. A documented history of payment trouble exists, and 3DMAX management directly acknowledged that a large amount of team revenue had previously disappeared.

3DMAX Had Already Acknowledged a Major Financial Hole

Back on 25 February, 3DMAX general manager Stéphane Pons discussed the organisation’s finances in an interview with LaSource. Pons said 3DMAX had been the victim of an alleged fraud committed by a former partner shortly before he joined the organisation, causing substantial financial and structural damage.

According to Pons, abnormal transactions were identified after he arrived, leading to the organisation’s accounts being frozen. He said revenue generated by the team had disappeared, including tournament earnings and money from Counter-Strike Major stickers.

“The sum is six figures, close to seven.”

Pons also said legal action was underway and that he and the organisation’s owner had committed to covering the full amount missing from players. No exact figure was disclosed at the time, meaning the February admission cannot by itself verify the considerably larger €1.5 million estimate now being reported.

What it does establish is that 3DMAX’s current situation did not suddenly begin with the collapse of the CYRILmp4 negotiations. A substantial financial hole had already been acknowledged by the organisation itself months earlier.

Payment Problems Were Reported Before the Alleged Fraud Became Public

The timeline extends even further back. In November 2024, French national sports publication L’Équipe reported that 3DMAX had dealt with payment delays during a turbulent year alongside negotiations over new player contracts.

That reporting predates Pons’ February 2026 disclosure about the alleged fraud. It does not establish how much money was owed at the time or whether those earlier delays are directly connected to the amount alleged today, but it shows that late payments had already been an issue around the Counter-Strike operation well before the current takeover story.

The latest first-hand account adds another layer. Former head coach Julien “YouKnow” Dusso, who spent roughly a year and a half with 3DMAX before leaving on 1 March 2026, said publicly on 21 August that his salary was never fully current during his time with the organisation.

As documented by BO3.gg, YouKnow said payments did arrive, but each payment covered a month that was already overdue rather than the current month. In his description, the arrears therefore remained in place instead of being cleared.

“The debt never decreased, it was simply carried over.”

YouKnow said he spent eight months as 3DMAX’s head coach under that arrangement. His account does not confirm KRL’s €1.5 million estimate, but it provides direct testimony from a former staff member that delayed compensation was a sustained problem rather than a single missed payment.

CYRILmp4 Was Not the First Reported Buyer

The failed CYRILmp4 project also followed an earlier attempt to move the 3DMAX roster elsewhere. Reporting in late April said Team Heretics had spent several months discussing the acquisition of the French Counter-Strike lineup before those negotiations ultimately fell through.

The more detailed financial terms attached to the Heretics talks have only emerged through later reporting and remain allegations. E.SPORT.FR reported that Heretics had at one stage offered to cover roughly 75% of around $1.3 million in outstanding payments, with the remaining portion to be handled separately. 3DMAX and Team Heretics have not publicly confirmed those terms.

CYRILmp4 then emerged as another potential route forward. The French creator has more than five million YouTube subscribers, and reports indicate discussions progressed far enough for a preliminary agreement to be signed. KRL said on 20 August that CYRILmp4 had officially withdrawn from the process.

That leaves two reported acquisition attempts ending without a completed transfer, while the allegations over unpaid money remain unresolved. The common thread isn’t that buyers showed interest. It’s that 3DMAX’s financial position repeatedly sat alongside negotiations over the future of its Counter-Strike roster.

Missing the Cologne Major Removed Another Revenue Opportunity

The team’s competitive downturn has also intersected with its financial problems. 3DMAX qualified for the Shanghai Major in 2024 and both Majors held in 2025, giving the organisation access to revenue from Valve’s Major sticker programme.

That run ended in 2026 when 3DMAX failed to qualify for the Cologne Major. LaSource reported in April that the French side’s qualification hopes ended after a loss to B8 at the Parken Challenger Championship Season 3, following a period in which the team had fallen considerably from the position it occupied during 2025.

Missing Cologne meant there would be no new Major sticker revenue from that tournament. That is particularly relevant given Pons’ earlier statement that sticker income was among the revenue affected by the alleged fraud. Rather than receiving another Major-linked injection while trying to repair the organisation’s finances, 3DMAX entered the middle of 2026 without that revenue stream.

3DMAX’s Current Debt Total Is Still Unverified

The evidence therefore splits into two categories. Significant financial trouble around 3DMAX is supported by the organisation’s own management, earlier reporting on delayed payments and YouKnow’s first-hand account. The claim that the organisation now owes more than €1.5 million, or potentially close to €2 million, remains reported rather than confirmed.

That distinction also applies to who is owed what. KRL’s allegation covers players, staff and other parties. Current reporting, meanwhile, has referred to salaries, bonuses and Major-related revenue. No public breakdown has established individual balances or shown how much of the alleged total comes from each category.

For the players, the immediate competitive situation continues even as those questions remain unresolved. Lucky, Maka, Graviti, misutaaa and Kursy have continued competing under the 3DMAX name, including an Esports World Cup campaign that ended in the group stage. HLTV also lists 3DMAX among the teams involved in NODWIN Clutch Series 11, which runs through 3 September, leaving the roster active under the same organisation while no completed takeover has been announced.