Thank you all for your patience as we looked into some concerns raised by our community after Kickoff.

Competitive integrity remains one of the most important pillars of our league. And while we strive for the best, there is always room for improvement. So we're grateful to members of our community who have brought their concerns to us, and are thankful to have fans who care so deeply.

We've taken a close look at some of our processes and protocols and will be making changes that we hope will improve the competitive experience for teams going forward.

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Headset Usage

In an effort to bolster our wider league integrity, we looked into headset usage during Kickoff. 

We reviewed gameplay footage and facecam recordings from all teams during the tournament and confirmed 2 instances of improper equipment usage during the following matches: 

• 23 January, GEN vs. DFM (Map 2) – GEN Lakia 

• 5 February, TS vs. ZETA (Map 2, 3) – TS Sylvan

After reviewing footage and voice comms from these specific matches, we did not find evidence that the improper headset usage was intentional, nor that the individuals gained in-venue casting information for a material match advantage. In fact, the maps during which the headsets were improperly worn resulted in losses for both teams. 

In accordance with Section 2.3.7 (Audio Restrictions) of the Ruleset and the Penalty Index under “Unauthorized Removal or Use of Equipment” (First Offense), a Written Notice has been issued to the players involved, and they have been informed that repeated offenses may result in additional disciplinary measures. 

To address this issue more proactively moving forward, we have strengthened monitoring protocols for headset usage during matches through enhanced Player POV oversight and updated referee checklist procedures.

We have also issued a precautionary notice to all teams with a reminder that players must ensure headsets fully cover their ears at all times and that they must also obtain referee approval before removing their headsets or risk penalty.

Venue Audio Volume

We aim to find a balance between offering a hyped on-site experience for fans while building a fair competitive space onstage. So audio testing makes up a key part of our pre-event stage checks. 

These checks involve testing audio at peak caster volume to ensure players cannot hear the words of our on-site casters distinctly. 

We also apply a double insulation set up for live matches where our players wear in-ear monitors (IEMs) in addition to their headsets while onstage. Team comms are broadcast through the IEMs, while white noise is played through the headsets to block out external audio.

While certain levels of background noise are expected, especially when casters and the crowd raise their voices or cheer loudly, our audio set ups are able to block exact words from being heard and there have not been any official reports from players during live matches at any point during Kickoff.

To strengthen our audio set up even more in future we will be making some updates to our tech checks for Stage 1 onwards.

We are currently reviewing several enhanced protocols, including additional time allocation and more intensive, rehearsal-based audio testing. Audio equipment setups will also be stress-tested against peak caster volumes significantly higher than our standard thresholds. 

We will also continue to ensure that our operational teams can adjust in-venue audio levels quickly if pro-teams report an issue onstage.

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Thank you again for your support. We look forward to growing our sport alongside our passionate community in Asia Pacific.