€180,000 HCG Masters Face Funding Issues Leaving CS:GO Pros Unpaid

thegamer.com:

HCG Season 1 started a new tournament with the promise of a €180,000 prize pool, but it has been put on hold indefinitely due to funding issues. This has left several CS:GO esports players and organisers unpaid while HCG is moving to an online event.

"Due to problems within the company, HCG Masters Season 1 will be completed online," it wrote on Twitter. "Exact dates will only be available once required conditions have been met. We apologise to our freelancer staff, teams, partners, and fans. There have been a number of problems caused by people outside the company that have led to this issue."

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According to HCG, a sponsor dropped out, leading to the company asking for more money out of an investor, but the investor then responded by asking for more equity which HCG would not give. This led to the "funding issues" mentioned prior that left organisers and pros unpaid and the tournament postponed.

However, executive director Ferenc Kern says that HCG has a new investor joining who will bring €300,000 to the table, helping alleviate the problems that have left many unpaid. It isn't clear when the money can be expected though as Ferenc simply said that the company will have a new round of funding "soon". It isn't happening as "fast as we thought" to use Kern's own words.

The situation has resulted in many streamers speaking up about HCG such as Valoranat commentator Vearless. They wrote a TwitLonger addressing an article from Esports News, saying, "[There was] low payment for an alleged €180,000 tournament - €25 a map. [There were] strange and unprofessional contracts [and I was] nearly forced to sign a contract after completing my work when this