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The Indian BGMI community has been feeling the ripples of shockwaves over the conflict between two prominent organizations of Indian gaming, Team Solo Mid and GodLike.
The controversy started around the highly debated transfer of Arjun "Shadow" Mandhalkar from TSM to GodL.
Chronological order of events of fiasco between two BGMI teams
Shadow had joined TSM as early as July 2021, when he was appointed as the in-game leader or IGL of their BGMI squad. With the American esports organization, he clinched various tournaments such as the NODWIN x LOCO All-Star Invitational and Skyesports Mobile Open in the previous year.
A year after he joined, Shadow was removed from TSM's main BGMI roster, which they later declared was due to performance and leadership reasons. The management added that the organization was looking to explore and experiment with different combinations of players.
On June 18, 2022, GodLike announced on its official Instagram page that it would acquire a new player for its BGMI squad. Later that day, it turned out to be none other than Shadow himself.
This was surprising news to TSM FTX India, who pressed for details. The company claimed that the player was unlawfully registered to GodL's team as he was still contracted to them.
The following day, Shadow appeared on a livestream, now fully associated with GodL, claiming that the primary reason for his departure was due to harassment and a lack of growth opportunities. He also added that there was no breach of contract policies as he had severed ties with TSM.
He said this on his Instagram:
TSM's India Lead Manager, Armin, clarified that they were open to the transfer, but on legal grounds. He added this on Instagram:
"Player poaching and tampering is a large issue in Indian esports...TSM will ensure that business is done professionally."
TSM's Global Director of Mobile, Jeff "SuiJeneris" Chau, then took to Twitter to ask Krafton India to take action against the arbitrary transfer. He added these tweets:
Upon privately reaching out to GHATAK, a GodL representative, Jeff was met with this reply:
It wasn't until June 20 that GodL responded, sharing this on its official Instagram:
The company also added this earlier today, defending its position in the BGMI community:
What the Twitter community had to say
The social media and gaming community has been on high alert since the drama. Big streamers like Jake Lucky have also covered the whole scenario on their Twitter accounts.
The two gaming organizations have been going to and fro since the "transfer happened." Many fans believe that the American esports organization might even take the matter to the legal council.
As of today, Krafton India has not responded to the entire fiasco.
