Visitors stand in front of the "Skyrim'' exhibition stand during the Gamescom 2011 fair in Cologne August 17, 2011. The Gamescom convention, Europe's largest video games trade fair, runs from August 17 to August 21. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender
Visitors stand in front of the "Skyrim'' exhibition stand during the Gamescom 2011 fair in Cologne August 17, 2011. The Gamescom convention, Europe's largest video games trade fair, runs from August 17 to August 21. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

Playing videogames is not just a child's play if you are involved in one of the biggest eSports team. There is a lot who are at stake with cash prizes running to the tune of millions. The high-stress nature of the sport and the cut-throat competition involved can lead to rising tensions and drama. That is exactly what went down behind the scenes of German "League of Legends" team MeetYourMakers (MYM). The professional eSports team has fired its manager after it was found that he had threatened one of the players.

Team MYM's Facebook page had announced that the Team Manager Sebastian "Falli" Rotterdam had been "released" from the team. The post cites Rotterdam act of issuing threats against a team member as a ground for the action against him. The team, however, dropped the euphemism and went on to use the term "fired" to describe the disciplinary action against the Team Manager, according to Gamespot.

"Going forward, we will host regular bi-monthly chats with all players and management to keep updated on any ongoing concerns," stated MYM through their Facebook post. "Management will also need to ask for approval from the CEO for any decisions involving player changes so that ultimate responsibility lies with CEO Khaled Naim."

The detailed post reveals that the scandal arose after MYM team member Marcin ‘Kori’ Wolski expressed desire to leave the team following a payment dispute. Rotterdam's subsequent threats against the player were meant to pressure him into staying back in team against his free will.

According to The Daily Dot, which was the first to break the news, the incident went down over a phone call between the player and the manager. Unbeknownst to Rotterdam, Wolski had been recording the call. The recording shows Rotterdam reminding Wolski that his absence would cost the team $50,000 per game, which would jeopardise the jobs of everyone involved.

Shockingly, Rotterdam intimidated Wolski by reminding him that it was his mother who signed the contract and that he would ensure that the player's mother "would lose the house" she lives in if he failed to comply. Rotterdam subsequently apologised for his actions by saying that it was a "big mistake" to threaten Wolski. The apology also stated that he was willing to step down from the Team Manager's role to atone for the act.

The team aims to hold regular 1-on-1 sessions between the players and the management to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Meanwhile, the recording has been uploaded on the RichardLewisReports SoundCloud account, and can be accessed in its entirety by following this link. Make sure you turn the volume down because Rotterdam can be heard hitting the walls and doors intermittently during the conversation.

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