Quinn, t0fu, Ace, and Watson have been named as defendants in a CA$7.5 million lawsuit filed by Gaimin Gladiators, following a public dispute in August.
Esports organisation 
Gaimin Gladiators has filed a massive lawsuit against four of its Dota 2 players—
Quinn “Quinn” Callahan, 
Erik “tOfu” Engel, 
Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard, and 
Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov—seeking CA$7.5 million (approx. US$5.37 million), citing multiple breaches of contract, including failure to meet social media obligations.
This legal action comes in the wake of Gaimin Gladiators’ controversial and unprecedented withdrawal from The International (TI) 2025, Dota 2’s annual world championship tournament. Despite earning a coveted direct invite to the prestigious million-dollar event, the organisation pulled out on August 23, just two weeks before the tournament began.
At the time, Gaimin Gladiators’ president Nick Cuccovillo cited "internal matters" as the reason for the team's sudden exit. However, the team’s midlaner, Quinn, publicly stated that the decision was made solely by the organisation, despite the players expressing a clear willingness to compete under Gaimin’s banner. Following the withdrawal, Gaimin was replaced at TI 2025 by China’s Yakutou Brothers.
Gaimin Gladiators files lawsuit over alleged breaches and sponsor fallout
On October 4, journalist Richard Lewis reported that Gaimin Gladiators had officially filed the lawsuit, recorded in the Ontario court system. The named defendants–Quinn, Ace, t0fu, and Watson–were all part of the team’s competitive roster during the period of controversy. The team’s fifth member, Arman “Malady” Orazbayev, is notably not included in the lawsuit, likely due to the fact he joined the roster later, in April 2025.
According to sources close to the reporter, the lawsuit centers around the players’ failure to fulfill dozens of social media deliverables required by their contracts. Additionally, the org allegedly lost a US$3 million sponsorship deal as a result of a public discriminatory remark made by Quinn.
Quinn, an American player, has developed a reputation for poor behavior in the Dota 2 community, particularly during public matches. During one of Quinn’s personal livestreams, he had stated: “I guess you’re just Russian. It’s not your fault you’re born in a trash country.”
The remark is believed to have seriously damaged Gaimin’s relationship with Winline, a Russian bookmaker that was one of the team’s main sponsors. Although Quinn later issued a public apology, the sponsor allegedly declined to renew its partnership with Gaimin, resulting in a multi-million dollar loss for the organisation.
Gaimin Gladiators’ official statement
In a statement provided to the reporter, Gaimin Gladiators asserted that the players themselves were unwilling to accept any measure to participate at TI, disputing Quinn’s public claims which stated otherwise. The org stated:
“[The players] actually canceled a bootcamp for The International less than a week before it was due to start, at significant cost to us; threatened on August 4th that they ‘may not perform due to the issues’; and on August 7th communicated that the team wished to exit their agreement and compete at The International independently.”
Players have yet to respond
While the current report paints the situation from the organisation’s side, the players have yet to release public statements–likely due to ongoing legal proceedings.
This is a developing story, and we will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.
For Dota 2 match results and updates on the go, don't forget to check out our Telegram channel.
