Former StarCraft 2 world champ questioned by match-fixing investigators

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Life Champion BlizzCon 2014

The specter of scandal is once again looming over the world of professional esports, as the Daily Dot reports that former WCS and Global StarCraft League champion Lee “Life” Seung Hyun, one of the top StarCraft 2 players in the world, is under investigation by the Changwon district prosecutors office.

It's not clear at this point whether Lee has been formally arrested, or if he was simply brought in for questioning. The specifics of the investigation are also unknown, but the Changwon office is the same one that uncovered incidents of StarCraft 2 match-fixing in 2015, which led to lifetime bans for 12 pro players. KeSPA, the Korean esports association, said it is cooperating with the investigation, and Lee will not be allowed to play in any official matches until he's acquitted of any wrongdoing.

Lee, who won the WCS World Championship in 2014 and came in a close second in 2015, is far and away the highest-profile pro player to be caught up in the unhappily persistent problem of match-fixing. If he is found to have been involved, to any extent at all, it will be a major scandal indeed—and a big, big black eye for professional gaming. We'll update as we learn more.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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