Valve has enforced its conflict of interest guidelines to prevent BC.Game Esports from competing in the BC Game Masters tournament, a VRS-eligible LAN event scheduled to take place in Bucharest, Romania.
The tournament, announced on February 3, carries a $50,000 prize pool. The event shares its title sponsor name with the esports organization BC.Game, prompting questions about whether the team would be permitted to participate under Valve’s current regulations.
BC.Game Announces Withdrawal, Valve Confirms Enforcement
BC.Game’s esports account issued a statement on X regarding the situation. The organization stated that BC.Game Esports and the tournament are operated by separate entities, but confirmed the team would not participate in the event to avoid speculation. The post concluded with “GG HF.”
However, Valve clarified to HLTV that the decision was not entirely BC.Game’s choice. A Valve representative directly addressed the situation, stating that the company does not distinguish between team title sponsors and team ownership, even when these entities are legally separate.
Valve’s Conflict of Interest Guidelines Explained
The Valve representative provided clear guidelines on how the company evaluates conflict of interest cases involving team sponsors and tournament sponsors.
According to Valve, the company will not accept a team’s title sponsor or brand also serving as a tournament sponsor at any level. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the sponsor and tournament operator are separate entities.
Valve will accept tournament title sponsors being represented by teams in smaller capacities, such as logo placements on jerseys. Additionally, teams or sponsors may be hired by tournament operators to provide reasonable services, such as arena management or media production, provided the business relationship is made public.
Enforcement Context and Historical Comparison
The BC.Game case marks a notable enforcement of these guidelines during the VRS era. The Valve representative confirmed that BC.Game could not participate in BC Game Masters or any event where BC.Game serves as a sponsor. The same restriction applies to any other team in an identical situation.
Historical context from the article indicates that prior to the VRS system, teams such as BetBoom competed in events like BetBoom Dacha. However, the Valve representative confirmed that circumstances have changed, and such participation would not be permitted under current regulations.
BC.Game Esports was barred from participating because the team’s title sponsor (BC.Game) is the same brand sponsoring the tournament. Valve considers this a conflict of interest, regardless of the fact that the team and the tournament organizer are legally separate entities.
No. Valve explicitly stated that it does not distinguish between a team’s title sponsor and team ownership. Even if the sponsor and tournament operator are legally separate, a team cannot compete in an event where their title sponsor is also a tournament sponsor.
Circumstances have changed under Valve’s current regulations (the VRS era). While such participation was tolerated previously, Valve confirmed that this would no longer be permitted under the current enforcement of their conflict of interest guidelines.
This rule applies to any team in an identical situation. Valve confirmed that a team cannot participate in any event where their title sponsor serves as a sponsor, regardless of which organization is involved.