Smiling Knight reveals Thunder Awaken still owes him $52,000, almost a year after he left the team. Now he wants to sue its CEO

During the peak of DPC league competitions, North and South American regions presented compelling opportunities for international esports talent. These areas offered reduced competition density and more accessible qualification paths to premier tournaments like Majors and The International compared to the highly saturated European circuits. Aliaksei “Smiling Knight” Svirydau joined this wave of imported players, though his South American journey unfolded far differently than anticipated. He approached our editorial team through Polina “mash1na” Mashina to detail his ongoing financial conflict with the currently dormant organization Thunder Awaken and its former chief executive Eduardo Ku Bustios, who had served the club for eight years. The player asserts outstanding debts exceeding $50,000.

Smiling Knight received recruitment outreach from Alone during late 2022. Thunder Awaken sought carry players while reconstructing their competitive lineup following departures of previous roster members to Evil Geniuses and beastcoast. While unfamiliar with the organization’s internal operations, he noted their competitive achievements throughout 2022, particularly their 5th-6th placement at The International 2022, which ultimately persuaded his relocation from Eastern Europe.

Financial complications emerged almost immediately upon arrival. Svirydau’s contract stipulated $3,000 monthly compensation plus performance incentives, yet his inaugural payment date arrived without funds. Management cited technical complications with Belarusian banking systems, though direct verification with his financial institution confirmed capability to process Peruvian transactions. Subsequent payment cycles yielded identical results—no transferred funds. The CEO proliferated increasingly elaborate explanations regarding monetary transfers, yet rejected Svirydau’s cryptocurrency payment alternative despite mounting financial obligations.

Following four months residing in Peru, I initiated procedures to establish local banking access. Our management team and I compiled documentation to obtain foreign identification credentials [Carné de Extranjería]. After securing this documentation, I required organizational verification to complete account establishment, which Eduardo systematically withheld. This bureaucratic stalemate persisted extensively, ultimately preventing successful local banking integration.

Despite six consecutive months without salary disbursements, I maintained confidence in organizational leadership. Previous professional experiences never involved similar payment irregularities. Additionally, bootcamp residency minimized immediate financial requirements for basic necessities.

August brought qualification success for The International 2023 following second-place finish in South American qualifiers. With the tournament scheduled in Seattle, United States visa acquisition procedures delivered another organizational wake-up call that eroded Svirydau’s confidence in Thunder Awaken’s operational competence. He characterized this timeframe as “complete administrative disaster.”

Management provided visa application documents, which I completed and returned to our team coordinator, never witnessing them again. Investigation revealed delegation of this critical task to an inexperienced junior assistant possessing limited English proficiency and apparent communication apprehension toward team members. Clearly, he lacked requisite competencies for proper application completion.

During consular interview proceedings, officials inquired: “What constituted your previous employment history?” My submitted forms left this section vacant, reflecting legitimate absence of conventional employment before esports career initiation—exactly what I communicated. Then the interviewer questioned: “What about ESB employment?” I expressed unfamiliarity. Documentation review exposed assistant’s fabrication of employment at SA DPC broadcasting studio ESB, despite my single visit for temporary casting duties. Neither management nor I received notification about these falsifications. Visa denial resulted from insufficient home country connections, with subsequent immigration specialists indicating near-miraculous avoidance of United States entry prohibition following submission of fraudulent application data.

Additional visa applications in Brazil and Serbia produced identical rejections. With tournament dates approaching, Indonesia represented his final opportunity. Numerous Eastern European competitors successfully secured U.S. visas for TI12 through Indonesian channels, where Smiling Knight also obtained approval. However, continuous international travel disrupted team preparation significantly, contributing to last-place tournament performance.

The player financed most travel, accommodation, and visa application expenses personally. Potential TI absence generated legitimate concerns about permanent financial losses following contract expiration, representing potential zero compensation for annual professional service. To mitigate this risk, he demanded executive signing of binding financial documentation.

Legal counsel recommended obtaining enforceable payment documentation guaranteeing post-contract compensation. Attorney collaboration produced detailed payment schedules with 0.1% daily penalties for delinquent payments. I genuinely believed this would provide financial protection while hoping implementation would prove unnecessary through timely post-TI payments.

During TI12 bootcamp preparations, I insisted on witnessed execution of this agreement. The CEO responded with vocal objections about trust violations, though ultimately provided signature authentication. He committed to substantial $25,000 payment following tournament conclusion, funded through anticipated sponsor disbursements.

We established November 1, 2023 as initial payment date for this amount, followed by six consecutive monthly $6,000 installments concluding April 1, 2024—the designated complete debt resolution deadline. This encompassed base salary with performance bonuses, annual prize earnings, plus travel and visa expense reimbursements.

November 1 arrived without fund transfers. Management blamed delayed sponsor payments, though Svirydau’s direct communication with the company confirmed timely disbursement. Only following this verification did Eduardo transmit $9,000 rather than the agreed $25,000. That same month, Smiling Knight departed the organization.

January 2024 brought invitation to Games of the Future 2024. The squad previously participated in another event from identical organizers during 2023, Phygital Games S2, though Smiling Knight never received corresponding prize distributions. Direct communication with event organizers revealed long-completed payments, with threatened invitation revocation compelling CEO payment of this $600 obligation—the second installment. Following extensive delays, spring brought third partial payment totaling $7,000.

Our final communication occurred July 2024. He pledged remaining balance transmission via cryptocurrency, never executing transfers while ignoring confirmation requests. He committed to $10,000 payment before August 20. I established this as definitive deadline, indicating media exposure and legal action for non-compliance.

Throughout ten months following promissory note execution, I collected approximately $17,000. Outstanding organizational debt approximates $52,000 including contractual delay penalties. Additional financial obligations exist toward previous roster members. Panda recently disclosed unpaid prize money from tournament conducted two years prior, though removed publication following CEO payment. Teammates reported full salary receipts albeit consistently delayed 1-2 months.

Smiling Knight additionally disclosed theft incidents involving himself and two teammates at bootcamp facilities. He estimates $1,200 missing from personal funds, with management unable to identify perpetrators despite installed surveillance infrastructure.

November 2023 introduced new chief executive Andrés Villagómez. According to player accounts, Villagómez experienced “deceptive recruitment”: organizational leadership extended the position without comprehensive debt disclosure, prompting his resignation upon discovery. Subsequent communication yielded responses indicating complete organizational disassociation.

When solicited for commentary, Eduardo Ku Bustios asserted “Thunder Awaken ceased operations due to insolvency.” Current responsibility for remaining organizational assets remains unclear following Villagómez’s departure, though he communicated as continuing representative. He acknowledged outstanding player debts while affirming “full intention” of obligation fulfillment.

We exert maximum efforts toward Smiling Knight compensation, having executed partial payments though incomplete resolution. We maintain absolute commitment to debt settlement. Realistically, numerous contractual arrangements failed materialization last year. Sponsorship agreements remained unfulfilled while promised partnership alliances never manifested.

Smiling Knight contends that despite bankruptcy claims, according to his intelligence, “the organization operates under wealthy parental ownership,” explaining how he “assumed CEO responsibilities at seventeen.” Current legal preparations target Bustios litigation, seeking legal representation to “establish organizational accountability for fraudulent activities, deceptive practices, and tax payment failures.” He anticipates his narrative empowering additional competitors, particularly Peruvian professionals, to disclose Thunder Awaken and Eduardo Ku Bustios financial obligations.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Smiling Knight reveals Thunder Awaken still owes him $52,000, almost a year after he left the team. Now he wants to sue its CEO Professional Dota 2 player reveals $52,000 unpaid wages and legal battle against esports organization