Ex King of Blades player reveals oppressive contracts and verbal abuse

A salary of $900 a year, 4% of tournament winnings and 5% of all streaming revenue is possibly the worst contract in Heroes of the Storm history (possibly esports) history.

Just moments ago, Chris "Darkchimaera" Beery revealed shocking realities of just how bad it was to be a player for the Heroes of the Storm team King of Blades. Verbal abuse, disrespect, and an insultingly low compensation rate were, according to Beery, the result of King of Blades owner Ryan Diliello and his "bully" persona. In the heart wrenching confessional posted on Reddit, Beery spares little detail in how miserable it was to be one of Ryan Diliello's players:

Diliello would sit in our scrims and games, and harass and demean us over what felt like half of our choices. Right after a loss, where we are trying to regroup and win the next one, he would just start screaming at us. Not like a coach (we have a coach, it wasn’t his job regardless), just like a bully. ”

It's hard not to get angry reading the full confessional. How could this type of abuse be allowed to happen? Why didn't the team step up for themselves? Who is Ryan Diliello and why does Ryan "TheVideoGameAttorney" Morrison claim him to be "the worst owner in esports?" Thankfully, Morrison has agreed to represent the team legally and guide them through this hellish situation.

Darkchimaera and the rest of his team had left the organization in the beginning of March but it's clear now that their understated reasons for forming their new team, Gust or Bust, was just that. Understated.

Chris Beery's attitude towards the situation has since changed and, despite the abuse, he seems intent on finding justice for him and his team:

"I’m truly sorry to my teammates that I kept pushing to go forward with me. And I’m truly sorry to all the people who have come and gone from this org and had to deal with Diliello. I know I’m putting a huge target on my back, and I know he’s going to come after me as hard as he can. I don’t care, I have to do what is right. You always said I had no spine, Diliello. Well, here it is."”

As esports grows, so does the number of new teams and young people who's esports dreams risk ruin from dubious organizations looking to profit off of naivety and bully tactics. This isn't the first story to surface about players being taken advantage of, and this won't be the last. 

But I support Beery and his choice to reveal this information. It's not easy to stand up to a bully, especially one that plays as dirty as Diliello is capable of, but hopefully stories like this will help new teams understand what a normal contract looks like and that abuse and disrespect in a professional setting is never normal or appropriate.

Although it isn't much of a response, Diliello has offered more to his side of the story to come soon.

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