Mineski Corporation and its group of companies would like to address certain concerns expressed about our company by our Dota 2 pro team's ex-coach, Anthony "Scantzor" Hodgson. In releasing this statement, we will clarify the company's situation in 2016 which Mr. Hodgson talks about in a blog post published on medium.com.
First of all, as the oldest esports company in Southeast Asia, we would like to state that though we are building a top world-class organization, we do realize that it is an ongoing process. We will not confirm nor deny any mistakes we may have made along the way, but guarantee that every year that passes sees a decade's worth of improvement. The Mineski that Scantzor experienced may have been imperfect, but we have since implemented vast changes in our company that has made a positive impact in the lives of our employees, professional teams, and the esports industry in Southeast Asia.
On Scantzor's allegation that we did not allow him to interact with anybody in the industry apart from our company, we must clarify that the industry we work in has always been competitive and given that Scantzor was allowed privileged information about our pro teams and their strategies, some strictness was necessary to protect our interests. That said, the industry has been changing for the better and even just this year we have worked towards a healthier, more inclusive esports scene as evidenced by our recently-concluded Sanduguan broadcast of The International 8, in cooperation with Tier One Entertainment and Gariath Concepts.
Moving on to Scantzor's transfer from the Mineski-Dota team to HappyFeet, we apologize to him if the move was perceived negatively, but the pro teams and our Mineski pro players will always be a treasured pillar of Mineski. At the time, the Mineski-Dota roster was updated with top Southeast Asian talent to improve their chances of reaching The International, which they did this year. During that time, the decision had to be made while Scantzor was on an extended personal leave, which was not ideal but was necessary at the time for his well-being. In order to continue to support the careers of our Filipino players who would have been removed from the roster, we instead gave them, along with Scantzor, opportunities to still compete under the HappyFeet brand. We have been supporting and developing esports talent for over a decade, and our first commitment to them is the protection of their careers.
On Scantzor's contract with us, we initiated our relationship with him on good faith on terms that we both agreed to. Though his contract expired and we were unable to finish the process of renegotiating new agreeable terms, we both continued to act on the said good faith of the original contract, observing our respective rights and duties (coaching and payment thereof). We never allowed Scantzor, or any full-time employee for that matter, to perform without compensation, the absence of a written contract notwithstanding. We continue to be compliant with all applicable labor laws, rules and regulations, and other social welfare legislation enacted to promote the well-being of workers.
On Scantzor's living conditions, we are saddened to hear that the lodging we gave was not to his liking. Though we may not have been able to afford top-tier accommodations for our non-Filipino talents, we have always offered the best that we have and all we ask is that our employees treat our property with care and consideration. Other top executives in the company stay in the same housing as Scantzor’s to this day.
We have always led the region in ensuring that players are given contracts and fair wage. We have updated our player salaries to be more than minimum wage as defined by Philippine law, and we look to continue improving this in the years to come. Treating competitive gamers as true professionals has been, and will always be, a major thrust of the whole organization.
At Mineski, we firmly practice our core values of Excellence and Professionalism, and we have always led the movement to legitimize esports and to create an industry where gaming can become a career. We are deeply sorry if Scantzor felt otherwise, but as every professional can attest to, searching for a company culture that aligns with an individual’s beliefs and aspirations is an ongoing personal quest. We do realize that we still have a long way to go and we will not stop improving as we bear the responsibility of being leaders in a region where the esports industry is still quite young, and has much to learn.
Thank you for your cooperation, your understanding, and your continued support for the exciting esports growth in Southeast Asia.
Mineski Pro Team is an organization driven by the pursuit to professionalize and uplift the esports industry. Founded in 2004, Team Mineski has become an icon and role model for aspiring amateur gamers from various competitive online game genres.
First of all, as the oldest esports company in Southeast Asia, we would like to state that though we are building a top world-class organization, we do realize that it is an ongoing process. We will not confirm nor deny any mistakes we may have made along the way, but guarantee that every year that passes sees a decade's worth of improvement. The Mineski that Scantzor experienced may have been imperfect, but we have since implemented vast changes in our company that has made a positive impact in the lives of our employees, professional teams, and the esports industry in Southeast Asia.
On Scantzor's allegation that we did not allow him to interact with anybody in the industry apart from our company, we must clarify that the industry we work in has always been competitive and given that Scantzor was allowed privileged information about our pro teams and their strategies, some strictness was necessary to protect our interests. That said, the industry has been changing for the better and even just this year we have worked towards a healthier, more inclusive esports scene as evidenced by our recently-concluded Sanduguan broadcast of The International 8, in cooperation with Tier One Entertainment and Gariath Concepts.
Moving on to Scantzor's transfer from the Mineski-Dota team to HappyFeet, we apologize to him if the move was perceived negatively, but the pro teams and our Mineski pro players will always be a treasured pillar of Mineski. At the time, the Mineski-Dota roster was updated with top Southeast Asian talent to improve their chances of reaching The International, which they did this year. During that time, the decision had to be made while Scantzor was on an extended personal leave, which was not ideal but was necessary at the time for his well-being. In order to continue to support the careers of our Filipino players who would have been removed from the roster, we instead gave them, along with Scantzor, opportunities to still compete under the HappyFeet brand. We have been supporting and developing esports talent for over a decade, and our first commitment to them is the protection of their careers.
On Scantzor's contract with us, we initiated our relationship with him on good faith on terms that we both agreed to. Though his contract expired and we were unable to finish the process of renegotiating new agreeable terms, we both continued to act on the said good faith of the original contract, observing our respective rights and duties (coaching and payment thereof). We never allowed Scantzor, or any full-time employee for that matter, to perform without compensation, the absence of a written contract notwithstanding. We continue to be compliant with all applicable labor laws, rules and regulations, and other social welfare legislation enacted to promote the well-being of workers.
On Scantzor's living conditions, we are saddened to hear that the lodging we gave was not to his liking. Though we may not have been able to afford top-tier accommodations for our non-Filipino talents, we have always offered the best that we have and all we ask is that our employees treat our property with care and consideration. Other top executives in the company stay in the same housing as Scantzor’s to this day.
We have always led the region in ensuring that players are given contracts and fair wage. We have updated our player salaries to be more than minimum wage as defined by Philippine law, and we look to continue improving this in the years to come. Treating competitive gamers as true professionals has been, and will always be, a major thrust of the whole organization.
At Mineski, we firmly practice our core values of Excellence and Professionalism, and we have always led the movement to legitimize esports and to create an industry where gaming can become a career. We are deeply sorry if Scantzor felt otherwise, but as every professional can attest to, searching for a company culture that aligns with an individual’s beliefs and aspirations is an ongoing personal quest. We do realize that we still have a long way to go and we will not stop improving as we bear the responsibility of being leaders in a region where the esports industry is still quite young, and has much to learn.
Thank you for your cooperation, your understanding, and your continued support for the exciting esports growth in Southeast Asia.
Mineski Pro Team is an organization driven by the pursuit to professionalize and uplift the esports industry. Founded in 2004, Team Mineski has become an icon and role model for aspiring amateur gamers from various competitive online game genres.
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