The latest entry in the Gamers First non-payment saga is a doozy. According to multiple social media posts by former members of their main Rocket League roster, G1 allegedly owes over $150,000 to their team.
Former manager catjeans and ex-player Adrián “ByMateos” Mateos are the latest to pipe up about the team owing them money. ByMateos pegs the total number at $150,000, and catjeans says she’s owed $7,500.
G1 took over the Women’s Carball League from Kansas City Pioneers after KCP failed to pay out prize money. The move garnered lots of support from the Rocket League community, but the issues with missing payments remained under G1’s stewardship. WCB players have been calling for an entirely new league, as this is now the second organization in a row that has been missing payments. The allegations of not paying employees extend to their Halo vertical, the esport that G1 was formally founded in. G1 announced a “multi-million” facility in Austin, Texas in August 2023.
In August, former NFL star and G1 CEO Kenny Vaccaro released a statement addressing the controversy. The statement itself was criticized by multiple members of the wider esports community, who said that Vaccaro talked a lot about passion while not laying out a firm timeline to make all of the G1 employees whole.
G1 started with great ambitions but seemingly hasn’t lived up to them just yet. It’s stunning that this needs to be said, but it’s important to pay employees if you want to attract top talent to your organization. Unfortunately, G1 is now behind the eight ball in any esports endeavor they choose next. The headlines and posts from former employees aren’t going away, and G1 needs to work to solve this if they want a prayer of competing at a top level any time soon.
