ESIC Suspends Two PlayTime Members Over Integrity Concerns, Eliminating the Team From Esports World Cup 2026
The Esports Integrity Commission provisionally suspended PlayTime's DarkMago and Vintage over suspected anti-corruption code breaches, eliminating the Dota 2 team from Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris.
Editor's Note ·
- Correction:
- The article states: "Liquipedia's match log records the forfeit result on July 15, 2026, at 13:00 CEST, with Vici Gaming winning by forfeit, according to Liquipedia." The Liquipedia Esports World Cup 2026 page, as archived, was last edited July 4, 2026 -- before the July 14-16 events described -- and its Survival Stage bracket shows the relevant July 15, 13:00 CEST slot as an unresolved 'TBD vs TBD' placeholder with no forfeit result recorded. The word "forfeit" does not appear on the page. The forfeit itself is real and separately confirmed by GosuGamers, which reported that "PlayTime have forfeited their match against Vici Gaming and have been eliminated from the tournament"; only the Liquipedia attribution for the specific time and result is incorrect.
- Correction:
- The article attributes the quotes "No determination of misconduct has been made" and "ESIC's investigation remains ongoing" to Liquipedia's Esports World Cup 2026 tournament page. Neither phrase appears anywhere on that page. The underlying point -- that ESIC has made no determination of guilt and its investigation is ongoing -- is accurate and is independently confirmed by GosuGamers, which quotes ESIC's own statement that "no final determination of guilt has been made." The specific quotes attributed to Liquipedia were not found in the source and should not have been presented as an independent corroborating citation.
Overview
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has provisionally suspended two members of the Dota 2 team PlayTime — mid laner DarkMago and sporting director Vintage — over suspected breaches of its anti-corruption rules, a decision that forced the Peruvian organization out of the Dota 2 competition at the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, according to GosuGamers.
What We Know
- ESIC opened an investigation into “suspected breaches of the ESIC Anti-Corruption Code and Player Code of Conduct,” according to GosuGamers.
- The suspended individuals are DarkMago, whose full name is Oswaldo Gonzalo Herrera Martínez and who holds PlayTime’s Position 2 (mid) role, and Vintage, whose full name is Juan David Angulo Nicho and who serves as the organization’s sporting director, according to Liquipedia. PlayTime is also referred to as PTime in some tournament records, according to Liquipedia.
- Both individuals are “prohibited from participating, directly or indirectly, in EWC 2026 and all ESIC Member events while the investigation remains ongoing,” according to GosuGamers.
- PlayTime forfeited its Survival Stage match against Vici Gaming and was eliminated from the tournament, finishing in 13th-16th place, according to GosuGamers. Liquipedia’s match log records the forfeit result on July 15, 2026, at 13:00 CEST, with Vici Gaming winning by forfeit, according to Liquipedia.
- Vici Gaming advanced to face 1w Team in the final round of the Survival Stage, according to GosuGamers.
- ESIC characterized the suspensions as “protective and precautionary” and said “no final determination of guilt has been made,” according to GosuGamers. Liquipedia’s tournament page independently notes that “No determination of misconduct has been made” and that “ESIC’s investigation remains ongoing,” according to Liquipedia.
- The Dota 2 competition at Esports World Cup 2026 runs July 7-19, 2026, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France, features 24 teams, and carries a $2,000,000 prize pool, according to Liquipedia.
What We Don’t Know
Neither ESIC nor Esports World Cup organizers have disclosed the specific conduct that triggered the investigation or publicly tied it to a particular match, according to GosuGamers. How long the investigation will take, and what it will ultimately conclude, remains unknown — ESIC has repeatedly stressed that provisional suspension does not equate to a finding of wrongdoing.