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 Hyun 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 Hyun will not be allowed to play in any official matches until he’s acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Hyun, 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.
