No sooner had s1mple's courses concluded than a TikTok user named VALVESINTERN, with 100,000 subscribers, claimed he was defrauded of $700 for promoting the project. VALVESINTERN created six promotional videos, but never received the promised payment.
PlayLikeS1mple's Course and Its IssuesIn response to the allegations, a user named Satoshi remarked that the absence of a written contract renders the payment claims legally dubious. VALVESINTERN himself acknowledged this issue:
"I understand that legally my case might not be very strong, and that’s my fault, but I’ve had many successful deals on Discord where the other ‘unsecured’ party always paid. When I found this, what I thought was a reputable client, I didn’t doubt that they would pay. — VALVESINTERN"
Questions for All-Stars Promotion and s1mple
At present, there are no statements from s1mple regarding the PlayLikeS1mple course and the situation with All-Stars Promotion. It is also unclear whether this issue involves just one individual being defrauded or multiple people. This situation highlights the importance of formal contracts and transparency in advertising and promotion deals within cybersports.
Previously, s1mple launched his own player education course called PlayLikeS1mple, which was promoted by All-Stars Promotion. However, it was recently discovered that free access to the course had been discontinued, raising concerns and suspicions within the community. Additionally, some users who had purchased subscriptions to exclusive content began receiving refunds without any prior notice.
Details and Allegations
In the ohnePixel community on Platform X, VALVESINTERN shared his experience:
"Scammed by PlayLikeS1mple. Hi everyone, I want to share my experience with s1mple's CS2 course and the company behind it, All-Stars Promotion. I was hired to promote the course on my 100k TikTok account, but I never received the promised payment. I created six promotional TikToks, which required considerable effort, under an agreement for $700. The last video was posted in mid-June, and since then, I have not received any responses from the team. — VALVESINTERN"
VALVESINTERN stressed that he does not blame s1mple for the situation, stating, “I want to emphasise that it’s probably not s1mple's fault, but the company managing the course, All-Stars Promotion.” VALVESINTERN also included screenshots of their correspondence and transactions, expressing hope that the issue will be resolved.