Epulze
From Liquipedia Dota 2 Wiki
Epulze
Company Information
Founded:
2015
Location:
Headquarters:
Örebro
Employees:
11-50[1]
Key People:
Mattias Lövgren (CEO)
Markus Lövgren (CSO)
Pontus Lövgren (Head of Events)
Markus Lövgren (CSO)
Pontus Lövgren (Head of Events)
Awarded Prize Pools:
$2,045,633
Links
Esports Pulze AB (also known as Epulze) is a Swedish esports production company founded by Mattias Lövgren, Markus Lövgren and Pontus Lövgren headquartered in Örebro, Sweden. They are known for hosting monthly cups from 2018 to 2021.
Epulze had a subsidiary in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (shutdown in 2024).[2][3]
In 2020, Epulze launched regional leagues aimed at amateur players, a chance to practice and compete in an organized environment.[4]
Epulze launches regional Dota 2 leagues for amateur playersAt Epulze we have always been passionate about growing grassroots esports. We believe that everybody should have a chance to compete in a fun and engaging environment! We’re very excited to launch these regional leagues and offer teams an ecosystem with multiple divisions where you can grow, both as a player and as a team.
Pontus Lövgren, Co-Founder and Head of Events & Partnerships
In 2023, Epulze hosted the regional leagues of Southeast Asia for DPC 2023.[5]
Valve tasks Epulze to lead the 2023 Dota 2 Pro Circuit SEAIt’s an exciting time for everyone here at Epulze to work with our partners on a ground-breaking event like the SEA DPC.
This is a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase the professional players at the peak of their games and put a spotlight on the Southeast Asia region and all that it can offer.
Pontus Lövgren, Co-Founder and Head of Events & Partnerships
In the same year, Epulze partnered with 4D Esports to organize Lima Major 2023, first Dota 2 Major in South America.[6]
Epulze teams up with 4D Esports to present Dota 2 Lima MajorEpulze’s and 4D Esports’ combined knowledge and experience put us in a great position to host a fantastic event for Dota 2 fans in Peru, LATAM, and the rest of the world.
Markus Lövgren, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Also in the same year, Epulze partnered with IO Esports to organize Bali Major 2023, first Dota 2 Major in Indonesia.[7]
Epulze and IO Esports Caps Off DPC 2023 with the First Ever DOTA 2 Major In IndonesiaAs ardent supporters of the global esports ecosystem, it is our pleasure to be a part of this big step forward for the DOTA 2 competitive scene. Healthy competition is what makes every player and fan fall in love with esports. Our pride lies in making sure that everyone can compete fairly, get recognized for their talents, and most importantly, have tons of fun.
Pontus Lövgren, Co-Founder and Head of Events & Partnerships
Non-payment of prize money and talent fees
From late-2023 onwards, several players, teams, talent, and production staff claimed they had not been paid by Epulze for Tours 2 and 3 of 2023 SEA DPC. It began with subtle public rebukes from teams and players in late-2023, with production talent and staff adding their complaints throughout 2024.
On September 4, Esports.net revealed that at least seventeen individuals had come forward publicly, and was aware of at least six further people who preferred to remain anonymous. In addition to the SEA DPC, other events such as the Lima Major 2023 (where they were co-organisers with 4D Esports), Bali Major 2023 (co-organisers with IO Esports), and DreamLeague Season 19 (contracted to provide remote casting by ESL FACEIT Group) had also not paid out. Epulze claimed that they were owed $500,000 USD from sponsors and partners, causing them to be unable to pay their invoices. Allegations were also made that Epulze had paid off "bigger" talent ahead of others to prevent them speaking out. Some talent were asked to cover their airfares, but were never compensated, meaning the event was a net financial loss for them.[8]
In June 2024, Epulze underwent restructuring,[9] with a round of layoffs. Sources familiar with Epulze claimed that although the company raised SEK 57m (approximately $5.5m USD), this funding never arrived. Subsequent rounds of funding failed to raise enough funds, due to the financial climate. Epulze were also unable to dissolve the company and cut its losses, with Esports.net suggesting that Swedish law made employers liable for fines and damages if salaries were unpaid, and Malaysian law (applying to its Malaysian subsidiary) prevented a company's dissolution until all outstanding salary debts were paid. This meant that talent and contractors could still not be paid in the event of liquidation, as they were behind in debt priority.[8]
Epulze CEO Markus Lövgren accepted responsibility for the payment issues, and stated that Epulze would continue to make progress towards payment.
“Even though some circumstances have been out of our ability to influence, we take responsibility over the situation and our ambition is to make good towards everyone. During the past year we have slowly but steadily made progress in covering parts of the outstanding payments. We are in constant communication with relevant parties and will continue to cover payments as we move forward.”Markus Lövgren, Epulze CEO ([8])
Players/teams
This list only contains those who have made public declarations.
| Person | Role at the time | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikko | Geek Slate player | September 13, 2023 | [10] |
| Joevy Siao | Execration manager | December 6, 2023 | [11] |
| Arjay Domdom | Head of Esports, Tier One Entertainment (parent of Blacklist International) | December 24, 2023 | [12] |
| Carlo | Execration player | December 29, 2023 | [13] |
| Meracle | Myth Avenue Gaming player | February 6, 2024 | [14][15] |
Production talent and staff
This list only contains those who have made public declarations.
| Person | Role at the time | Date | Ref | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tan "Elore" Shi Han | Observer | January 4, 2024 | [16] | |
| Bowie | Caster | February 11, 2024 | [17] | "10 tournaments" |
| Petar Đulabić and two other colleagues | Producer | February 11, 2024 | [18] | |
| Sophia "sophy" Mapua | Host | August 29, 2024 | [19] | |
| Khezu | Caster | August 29, 2024 | [20] | Unnamed Major |
| Danog | Caster | August 29, 2024 | [21] | |
| Eosin | Observer | August 29, 2024 | [22] | |
| Otomo | Caster | August 29, 2024 | [23] | Tour 3 only |
| Robbnroll | Caster | August 29, 2024 | [24] | Tour 3 only |
| Liam "Epidamnos" Gilson | Caster | August 29, 2024 | [25] | SEA DPC and Bali Major |
External sources
- Epulze Faces Heat in Dota 2 Pro Circuit SEA Prize Payout Storm, Adrian Sujiwo, Ulti Asia, January 11, 2024
- More Allegations of Non-Payment Against Epulze Emerge as Company Responds, Michael Hassal, Esports.net, September 4, 2024
Tournaments[edit]
S
Tournament
Date
Prize Pool
Location
P#
Winner
Runner-up
Oct 12 - Nov 15, 2020
$1,400
North America8 participants
Oct 12 - Nov 15, 2020
$1,400
South America8 participants
Oct 8 - Nov 8, 2020
$1,400
Southeast Asia8 participants
May 9 - Jun 1, 2020
$1,500
Australia8 participants
May 7 - 31, 2020
$3,000
North America8 participants
May 12 - 31, 2020
$3,000
South America8 participants
May 7 - 30, 2020
$3,000
Southeast Asia8 participants
Monthly Cup[edit]
S
Tournament
Date
Prize Pool
Location
P#
Winner
Runner-up
Feb 20, 2021
$500
Southeast Asia23 participants
References[edit]
- ↑ Epulze LinkedIn
- ↑ Grey (2024-06-04). "I am now looking for job due to the unfortunate shutdown of @epulzegaming's Malaysian studio.".
- ↑ James Fudge (2024-06-03). "Tournament Operator Epulze Announces Layoffs". The Esports Advocate.
- ↑ Jonno Nicholson (2020-04-15). "Epulze launches regional Dota 2 leagues for amateur players". Esports Insider.
- ↑ Radina Koutsafti (2022-12-12). "Valve tasks Epulze to lead the 2023 Dota 2 Pro Circuit SEA". Esports Insider.
- ↑ Tom Daniels (2023-01-11). "Epulze teams up with 4D Esports to present Dota 2 Lima Major". Esports Insider.
- ↑ divushka (2023-04-23). "Bali Major to be held at luxurious AYANA Estate in July". GosuGamers.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Michael Hassal (2024-09-04). "More Allegations of Non-Payment Against Epulze Emerge as Company Responds" (in
English). Esports.net.
- ↑ Davide Xu (2024-06-04). "Tournament organiser Epulze undergoes layoffs" (in English). Esports Insider.
- ↑ Nikko (2023-09-13). "Ano na Epulze wala na akong pera pambili pagkain [What's up Epulze, I don't have any money to buy food]" (in
Filipino).
- ↑ Joevy Siao (2023-12-06). "Epulze galaw galaw mag papasko na" (in Filipino).
- ↑ Arjay Domdom (2023-12-24). "Merry Christmas, Epulze!" (in English).
- ↑ Carlo (2023-12-29). "Epulze igalaw mo ang baso." (in Filipino).
- ↑ Meracle (2024-02-06). "I’ve literally received my first salary off my new job but have yet to receive my prize money from (DPC!) that happened more than half a year ago. Wild!" (in English).
- ↑ Meracle (2024-08-29). "@sophmapua Owed money for competing in it as well!" (in English).
- ↑ Eric Tan (2024-01-04). "Hello everyone, I am Elore, I have been working as a freelance Observer actively for the past 6 years working on multiple projects. It is been a long time coming for me to announce that for the 2023 season of SEA DPC Tour 2 and 3 I have not been paid by @EPULZEgaming (1/?)" (in English).
- ↑ Bowie (2024-02-11). "I am owed 5 figures from epulze for about a year and I can't stay silent about this any longer." (in English).
- ↑ Petar Đulabić (2024-02-11). "@Noxville Well, you can add me also & 2 of my colleagues for 2k$ (each) from epulze for production last year" (in English).
- ↑ sophy (2024-08-29). "So it's been over a year since I hosted the SEA DPC and i haven't been paid yet. I'm tweeting about this because it's been so long since the tours happened and I honestly just want to move on with my life but it's quite a large sum of money for me that I worry about every day..." (in English).
- ↑ Khezu (2024-08-29). "@sophmapua @SingSing same here, owed money for remote casting. Just like 472747 other people" (in English).
- ↑ Danog (2024-08-29). "@sophmapua Ditto" (in English).
- ↑ Eosin (2024-08-29). "super annoyed to read this cause i actually forgot they owed me money too" (in English).
- ↑ Otomo (2024-08-29). "$1125 dpc sea DPC Tour 3, Div II." (in English).
- ↑ Robbnroll (2024-08-29). "@Noxville @OtomoDota @Danog @KheZu @hairy_freak @Blu_Scale im owed about $1000 for the 1xplore and another $250 for the SEA DPC, just wrote it off at this point." (in English).
- ↑ Epidamnos (2024-08-29). "@Noxville @Danog @KheZu This is also the case for me too regarding SEA DPC and Bali Major" (in English).