• Log InLog In
  • Register
  • Shop
Liquid`
TeamLiquid Liquipedia TLnet LiquidLegends
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Live Streams
  • Calendar
  • Liquipedia
  • Store
  • Heroes
  • Items
  • Store
  • Players
  • Teams
  • Recent Results
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
MDL Chengdu: Newly Minted Aspiration9Dota Summit 11 - Rising Up2Grudge Matches in Rotterdam: DreamLeague Preview6[TI9] Championship Sunday Recap21[TI9] Playoffs Day 5 Recap1
Community News
Groups for World Pro Invitational released37.23c released15DreamLeague Leipzig Major: Qualifier Roundup1[Translation] No[o]ne talks patch 7.2327.23b released13
Dota 2 General
General
Groups for World Pro Invitational released T1 Roster Finalized 7.23c released Outlanders Update DreamLeague Leipzig Major: Qualifier Roundup Ex-Liquid roster announces new team "Nigma" OG's TI Winning Roster not at 2nd Major [Translation] No[o]ne talks patch 7.23
The Tavern
Official Off-Topic General Discussion Improving my game: any viable applications for it? Improving DotA Matchmaking
Tournaments
[Major] Dream League Leipzig Europe Qualifier [Major] Dream League Leipzig North American Qualifi [Major] Dream League Leipzig CIS Qualifier [Major] Dream League Leipzig SEA Qualifier [Major] Dream League Leipzig South America Qualifier
Players & Teams
Evil Geniuses Discussion Nigma Discussion Ninjas in Pyjamas Discussion Team Liquid Discussion Alliance Discussion TNC Predator Discussion Na`Vi Discussion Team Secret Discussion
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers [D]Outlanders and the support role Free Replay Analysis
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread If you're seeing this topic then another mass shooting happened and people disagree on what to do Ask and answer stupid questions here! UK Politics Mega-thread Trading/Investing Thread
Other Games
Path of Exile World of Warcraft Classic Final Fantasy XIV
Heroes of the Storm
Patch notes HotS: WP and Funny Moments Deathwing is the next new hero
Sports
2019 - 2020 Football Thread Major League Baseball 2015 TL Fantasy Football '19
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker SPOILERS ALLOWED Movie Discussion!
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Liquid Arcanon News [0]Paper TL Mafia Plays: Diplomacy
Blogs
Kotls broke
ahw
Reponse to people whining …
sCCrooked

Website Feedback

Closed Threads

Discord Server


Active: 215 users

Foward Gaming is terminated

Forum Index > Dota 2 General
22 CommentsPost a Reply
1 2 Next All
uberxD
Profile Joined September 2012
293 Posts
July 21 2019 20:55 GMT
#1

FWD GAMING
closes operations


As is of July 21, 2019, Forward Gaming has released a statement in which it declares that the organization is closing its operations meaning that all the players are now free agents.

The statement reads:

It’s hard to close a company.
It’s even harder to close the company you’ve founded.

With a heavy heart, I regret to announce that Forward Gaming ceases to exist. As of today, all employees’ contracts are being released and our players become free agents.

I also regret to inform that we have to close the company with the debt remaining owed to the players. Due to insufficient financial results, we are unable to cover players’ salaries for July as well as $36,000 of players’ share of prize money (which was used to partly cover June’s salary).

Back in June we informed players about the company’s state and told them that we might shut down the team right after the Epicenter Major. However, we decided to wait until the end of TI qualifier in the hope that we would be able to overcome our financial difficulties. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

I feel terrible for leaving our guys at the worst moment possible. We tried so hard to provide them with everything we could throughout the year and failed at the very end. This sucks.

I apologize to everyone who put their time and effort into Forward Gaming – our players, employees, and fans. I don’t know how to express our appreciation for your support and incredible dedication. Thank you.

And of course, I wish best of luck to our guys – Yawar, Quinn, Sney, Mojo, Pie, Kurtis and Jack. I hope you’ll kick some ass in Shanghai, will be cheering for you like crazy.

Goodbye guys. All the best.

— David Dashtoyan, CEO
July 21, 2019


Link to statement
Facebook Twitter Reddit
Writer<-- occasionally in English - @uberdota
emperorchampion
Profile Joined December 2008
Switzerland2594 Posts
July 21 2019 21:05 GMT
#2
Fairly unsurprising since I don't remember them having any large sponsors or anything.
TRUEESPORTS || your days as a respected member of team liquid are over
Atoissen
Profile Joined July 2011
Norway837 Posts
July 21 2019 22:13 GMT
#3
Sad to hear, finally another American team doing well and it shuts down. Just weeks before TI...
Solid AM squad up for grabs now.
“Strength lies not in defense but in attack.”
Coffeee
Profile Joined April 2013
Switzerland5 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-07-21 23:17:32
July 21 2019 23:17 GMT
#4
they'll be signed by a new organization in no time i think, they are a great team and looking good for the upcoming ti
PhoenixVoid
Profile Joined December 2011
Canada15648 Posts
July 22 2019 00:08 GMT
#5
Makes me wonder if C9 will pop in for a TI team like NP a few years back. There's also a few other NA teams that have or could dabble in Dota like OpTic, Immortals and 100 Thieves.
I'm afraid of demented knife-wielding escaped lunatic libertarian zombie mutants
tehh4ck3r
Profile Joined August 2013
Magrathea5821 Posts
July 22 2019 01:31 GMT
#6
On July 22 2019 09:08 PhoenixVoid wrote:
Makes me wonder if C9 will pop in for a TI team like NP a few years back. There's also a few other NA teams that have or could dabble in Dota like OpTic, Immortals and 100 Thieves.


immortals bought optic and i dont think immortals is interested in renting a dota team for a month
AdministratorIn those days, spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.
Fualtier
Profile Joined November 2010
79 Posts
July 22 2019 02:19 GMT
#7
So they bet on a high enough prizemoney-cut to pay the salaries? Trying to somehow get sponsors in?

Good players, good luck to them.
Gzerble
Profile Joined May 2015
80 Posts
July 22 2019 08:29 GMT
#8
So what about TI?

These guys plowed through the qualifiers with ease, what happens to them now?
Rufus Dupres
Profile Joined December 2018
Germany548 Posts
July 22 2019 08:43 GMT
#9
On July 22 2019 17:29 Gzerble wrote:
So what about TI?

These guys plowed through the qualifiers with ease, what happens to them now?


They will still be playing there but without an organization behind them...at least for now. I think all the costs related to their flights/hotel accommodation and practice equipment is being sponsored/paid by Valve.
"The map is black, but I see everything" - Kuro - MegaFon 2018
Julmust
Profile Joined November 2008
Sweden1965 Posts
July 22 2019 10:14 GMT
#10
The return of mouz?... part 4
AdministratorI'm dancing in the moonlight
Faruko
Profile Joined April 2013
Chile29820 Posts
July 22 2019 11:28 GMT
#11
I wonder what org could take a squad of players just to be in TI

I really can't think of one...
Ross was right // "Jesus Christ nahaz is doing shots before my eyes" (Sn0_Man, 2018)
calippo
Profile Joined March 2011
Sweden1632 Posts
July 22 2019 16:54 GMT
#12
lmao if you pay players at a tier2 level more than 36k dollar in salaries per month, of course it's gonna go to this
in it for the game not for the .... - PMS Army. [WUFC-SDK. VIM. PMS]
DavoS
Profile Joined October 2012
United States2660 Posts
July 22 2019 18:17 GMT
#13
Some org will pick them up, it’s happened with virtually every other unsigned squad to make it to TI or a Major
"KDA is actually the most useless stat in the game" Aui_2000
Circumstance
Profile Joined March 2014
United States151 Posts
July 22 2019 23:28 GMT
#14
It's the International. The brand exposure is astronomical, even if you don't wind up doing well. I expect someone like Spacestation to jump in, get the easy marketing numbers, keep the team on for the first major of the TIX season and drop them if results don't pan out. Not complicated, really.
The world is better when every background has a chance.
atrox_
Profile Joined November 2010
China138 Posts
July 23 2019 07:00 GMT
#15
really really painful to hear that even still players are not being paid what they're owed.
ChriS-X
Profile Joined June 2011
Malaysia185 Posts
July 23 2019 07:52 GMT
#16
On July 23 2019 01:54 calippo wrote:
lmao if you pay players at a tier2 level more than 36k dollar in salaries per month, of course it's gonna go to this

its actually 36k in prizemoney
Cybuster
Profile Joined October 2015
Canada99 Posts
July 23 2019 08:19 GMT
#17
I always thought running an esports team is "burning money" unless you can find some huge sponsors and cover most of the expenses. We never heard of Forwarding Gaming before so I thought the founder has the capital to fund the team).

Jeremy Lin earned USD64mil up to date and that's why J Storm is able to maintain to make a name in the Dota scene. I think Jeremy Lin loses some money by investing into the team but he has the lifetime earnings to back up the funds. He has the passion for this game and it's good for him that he is willing to invest into the game that we love.

Here is my rough estimate of running a team (in USD):
1) 5 players salaries = $150,000 ($3000 x5 x 10months, maybe more)
2) 1 Coach = $20,000 ($2000 x10months, maybe more)
3) 1 Manager = $20,000 ($2000 x10months, maybe more)
4) Team house rent = $30,000 ($3000 x10months)
5) PC and equipments = $20,000
6) Groceries and food = $30,000 ($3000 x10months, really rough estimate here)
7) Other expense = $5,000

So you need approx $290,000 to run a team for 10 months. The team may get 5-10% cut from tourney earnings (unless you are VP or Secret, the prize money would be in the range of USD100-500k for the year for the whole team and split among 5 players/coach).

It's hard to sustain into esports. Even OpTic is losing money and got bought out by Immortals.
Let's see what new teams we can see after TI concludes.
konadora
Profile Joined February 2009
Singapore15553 Posts
July 23 2019 09:11 GMT
#18
mouz is back?
POGGERS
YBBUB
Profile Joined September 2018
48 Posts
July 23 2019 12:24 GMT
#19
On July 23 2019 17:19 Cybuster wrote:
I always thought running an esports team is "burning money" ... Even OpTic is losing money and got bought out by Immortals.


sad to hear about Optic.

I don't know if I feel sorry for any party here becoz post-TI8, the over-performed VGJStorm team were looking at best available offers & I think they rejected one from Optic and decided to go with 'Forward' since they apparently provide something more or better for the players than any other competing bid.

IF so, then Forward just over-extended and the players are still covered since they're in TI.
Taf the Ghost
Profile Joined December 2010
United States7771 Posts
July 23 2019 15:49 GMT
#20
On July 23 2019 17:19 Cybuster wrote:
I always thought running an esports team is "burning money" unless you can find some huge sponsors and cover most of the expenses. We never heard of Forwarding Gaming before so I thought the founder has the capital to fund the team).

Jeremy Lin earned USD64mil up to date and that's why J Storm is able to maintain to make a name in the Dota scene. I think Jeremy Lin loses some money by investing into the team but he has the lifetime earnings to back up the funds. He has the passion for this game and it's good for him that he is willing to invest into the game that we love.

Here is my rough estimate of running a team (in USD):
1) 5 players salaries = $150,000 ($3000 x5 x 10months, maybe more)
2) 1 Coach = $20,000 ($2000 x10months, maybe more)
3) 1 Manager = $20,000 ($2000 x10months, maybe more)
4) Team house rent = $30,000 ($3000 x10months)
5) PC and equipments = $20,000
6) Groceries and food = $30,000 ($3000 x10months, really rough estimate here)
7) Other expense = $5,000

So you need approx $290,000 to run a team for 10 months. The team may get 5-10% cut from tourney earnings (unless you are VP or Secret, the prize money would be in the range of USD100-500k for the year for the whole team and split among 5 players/coach).

It's hard to sustain into esports. Even OpTic is losing money and got bought out by Immortals.
Let's see what new teams we can see after TI concludes.


I would expect operating expenses is more like 500k per year as a starting point for a Dota team. And that's just for the players. You'd expect between 750k and 1mil USD to operate a team functionally for 12 months. At least in any of the major Western countries. Would be cheaper in Eastern Europe, but not a lot.

Then, you have to find ways of generating revenue, which is exactly why certain teams operate they way they do. EG and TL aren't cutting promos for sponsors for no reason. An esports team ends up acting like a billboard for advertisers. That's what makes the Professional Scene viable. (With the exception of the CS & FGC communities, all other esports are actually Marketing for the game developers.)
1 2 Next All
Please log in (you can use your steam or reddit account!) or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 4 days
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
Players
monkeys_forever3118
PurgeGamers1607
EternaLEnVyy1161
MerliniDota601
Bkop481
DotACapitalist292
BlackDotATV185
FoREv 166
ixmike8854
Organizations
BeyondTheSummit301
DreamLeague145
[ Show 39 non-featured ]
Dota 2
• evil_geniuses_xii2497
• qSnake1844
• ggwpsnosite1668
• A1taOda 1249
• GaRgoNiT985
• GunnarDotA2912
• deco1tv 806
• Sunlight723
• Adekvat 684
• NS_4RT487
• WiseOverTwice464
• Bogush421
• DotaTV247309
• wildbets260
• MoUraDota239
• KVYZEE 236
• AresHD228
• BlitzSpanks222
• S00dl192
• JeevesDotaTV189
• Beastqt 163
• MissClick_TV 158
• jubeigaaaa117
• archangelskiy 108
• ghhg105
• lukiluki102
• henry87
• santadoto81
• FANAT_MARVEL 80
• FroggedTV 72
• Element_of_death70
• ElisaViihdeSport 62
• icemo21 59
• Mursielago58
• Rogges 57
• AmirPhanThom55
• ChakiFinster50
• willmarvin50
• Alesandramw50
Upcoming Events
World Pro Invitational
TBD vs TBD
World Pro Invitational
TBD vs TBD
World Pro Invitational
TBD vs TBD
World Pro Invitational
TBD vs TBD
World Pro Invitational
TBD vs TBD
[ Show More ]
World Pro Invitational
TBD vs TBD
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Yabo Supreme Cup Qualifier
MDL Chengdu Major

Ongoing

China Pro League S1
X-Bet.co Rampage S6
Russian eSports Cup 2019
IeSF 2019
SECTOR: MOSTBET
WESG 2019 China Finals
Kyivstar Autumn Cup
Predator League MN Finals
Asian Gold Occupation S8
WESG 2019 South Asia
Asia Challenger League S4
LPL Pro S4

Upcoming

DreamLeague S13
WePlay! Bukovel Minor
World Pro Invitational Singapore
Yabo Supreme Cup

Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Lip Comarella / SalonAlpin.
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2019 LiquidDota.com. All Rights Reserved.