Missing esports CEO seen partying on Facebook as former staff say they won’t sue

Simon Boudreault, the 23-year-old esports executive who allegedly owed $40,000 to staff at Quantic Gaming before disappearing in Dec. 2013, is back. And he’s all smiles.

Boudreault is accused of not paying employee salaries for several months. They’ve been left wondering where he disappeared to, whether they’d ever get paid, and even whether he was even alive.

No one in the esports industry had heard from or seen Boudreault since a brief Dec. 17 Skype chat. Until now.

Multiple photos of Boudreault surfaced on Facebook earlier this month that show him out at bars and parties with friends in Montreal.

The photos were mostly removed from Facebook shortly after they were uploaded earlier this month. But a few are still visible to the public.

Boudreault, who told friends that he might have cancer before disappearing, appears to be in good health. In one photo, he’s hanging out at Edward’s Smoked Meat near his home in Quebec. Multiple phone calls for comment from the Daily Dot to Boudreault’s home and office were not returned.

Ko Hyun, the StarCraft 2 star who says he was stiffed by Boudreault for $23,000 in salary and prize money, openly declared his intent to sue his former boss if he could find him. Since then, multiple other former employees have considered lawsuits of their own.

Now they’re giving up.

Hyun has no evidence Boudreault actually owes him money, said Seohyeon Park, the Korean player coordinator on Mousesports and Hyun’s advisor. Hyun signed to a new team, Roccat, earlier this month.

Bernie “Fujikura” Catalan, Quantic’s ex-Chief Operating Officer says he is owed $4,000, but believes it would cost too much to sue. He won’t be taking legal action either.

John Clark, who says he’s owed $5,000 for marketing work, believes he wouldn’t see a penny even if he sued successfully because “the judgement does not require anyone to collect from him.”

Boudreault’s Facebook cover photo shows his old Quantic Counter-Strike. The profile pic is an old photo of Boudreault standing with Hyun, who’s beaming at the camera