G2A hits back at Riot, calls sponsorship ban ‘aggressive’ and ‘heavy handed’

Game key reseller G2A may have been banned from Worlds by Riot, but the company showed today that it’s not planning to go without a fight.

Earlier this week the Daily Dot broke the news of the ban, which Riot officials later confirmed had already been enacted as of Sept. 18. As a result, G2A sponsored teams competing at Worlds were forced to not display logos on any Riot broadcast.

Today, G2A released a statement slamming the ban as “aggressive” and “heavy handed”.

Calling the ban “a failed attempt to dominate and control the industry,” G2A claimed it had fulfilled Riot’s demands—namely banning account selling and ELO boosting services on its platform, but Riot kept moving the goalposts. According to G2A, this ban “has the ability to impact negatively on e-sporters.”

Though G2A claim it suspended account selling and ELO boosting listings, such listings are available to purchase on G2A’s site at the time of publication. It is unclear if these were restored after the ban was made final, or never removed in the first place.

According to the company, it’s invested $6 million in esports sponsorship since 2014. It is as yet unclear how the ban will affect sponsored teams and personalities, but G2A has told sponsored companies that it will pull out of deals if the ban is upheld.

In the statement, G2A also appealed for esports fans to contact them with their thoughts on the ban—though the reaction online so far seems less than sympathetic.

Image via Riot esports/Flickr