Dota 2 match-fixing scandal gets new, inconclusive chapter with HYDRA statement

In the wake of a recent match-fixing exposé in the Eastern European Dota 2 scene, HYDRA found itself in the spotlight. The organization’s players were included in the list of names filled with alleged suspects, prompting HYDRA to release a statement today.

To clarify, HYDRA’s players were accused individually in Russian YouTuber Morf’s exposé on April 5 because there were instances where a portion of the team was allegedly paid to lose as the remaining half was trying to win in a particular tournament match.

According to the organization’s statement, HYDRA has started an internal investigation since the accusations began flying around the Dota 2 scene. Tournament organizers and bookmakers for popular betting sites were contacted for more information in an effort to clear out players’ names.

HYDRA’s attempts at gaining more information would turn out to be a dead-end, however, since its requests were eventually declined. Despite not progressing in resolving match-fixing allegations, HYDRA confessed the organization had stumbled on something else in a January 2023 investigation.

During the winter season, the organization conducted a two-day investigation that uncovered Anatoliy “Lefitan” Krupnov used a third-party tool called OverPlus. This tool advertises itself as a skin changer and also unlocks most of the features that players can purchase via Valve’s DotaPlus, while also revealing information that players can take advantage of while queueing for a ranked match, indicating that it might be tinkering with some of the in-game files or locked settings.

As a result, Lefitan was removed from the team, but given that some HYDRA players were accused of using cheats to ensure favorable outcomes in matches, fans are already skeptical of the statement. OverPlus is generally considered a gray tool within the Dota 2 community because it provides information that would be unavailable to the average user in normal conditions.

In its statement, HYDRA underlined it’s a young organization, and the information sources are limited at best. Based on the tone, it looks like HYDRA is ready to cut ties with anyone who may danger its reputation.