CS:GO Talent Is Reportedly Refusing To Work With Blast Following NEOM Partnership
There's yet more NEOM drama as the latest word from the world of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) claims the game's talent is now refusing to work with BLAST Premier over its controversial partnership with the Saudi Arabian company.
While the announcement of NEOM being a main partner of the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) should've been a great piece of news, eyebrows were raised about the country's strict stance on the LGBTQ+ community. Many of those involved with LEC identify as LGBTQ+ themselves and presented a united front against the deal.
At the same time as the LEC drama, BLAST flew under the radar with its own NEOM partnership. After LEC dropped NEOM, and just when it looked like the dust had settled, the BLAST scandal has reared its head.
Among those now trying to cut ties with BLAST are CS:GO talent including Vince Hill, Frankie Ward, Harry Russell, and Hugo Byron. The commentators said they couldn't work with BLAST if it continued to keep NEOM as a partner. Ward was vocal on the issue and told her followers, "We no longer work with people who would kill our friends".
Alongside this, Russell said, "Blast x NEOM is a disgrace to the BLAST brand, an organization I know is filled with wonderful, talented and loving individuals. The idea that this could be ‘silenced’ through ignoring it is not a standard of precedent that should be set". This caught the attention of Byron, who added: "I stand by Harry, my colleagues and every person who has been persecuted by archaic Governments for being themselves. I urge everyone to educate themselves on the human rights violations being committed by NEOM and its owners".
While LEC dropped NEOM less than 15 hours after the news was announced, BLAST has been a little slower on deciding what happens next. It's hard to imagine the deal going ahead when considering so much talent has said it won't accept the partnership, but that being said, it's a huge deal that was set to make BLAST and NEOM a lot of money.
As well as the LGBTQ+ issues, NEOM has been accused of abusing the indigenous community and evicting them from their homeland to build the futuristic NEOM City. Even if Saudi Arabia is keen to invest in the growing market of esports and to put its considerable wealth into the market, the ongoing scandal has proved that the industry at large isn't going to welcome its influence with open arms.
Images via BLAST Premier Twitter
