Gamers First (commonly referred to as G1) owes prize money to several teams that participated in the Women’s Carball League (WCB) Season 5, according to sources and several public posts on social media Thursday.
According to one social media post, many of the 12 teams that have participated in WCB Season 5 have not been paid since March; another suggest that staff at WCB are also owed money as well.
Another social media post suggested that members of its Rocket League team have also not been paid since March, despite competing in the Rocket League World Championship this week. Finally, a social media post claimed that some players who competed in the G1 Invitational eight months ago still haven’t been paid.
According to several tournament organizers we spoke to on background Thursday, the average wait time for payouts on tournament prize money is typically “net 60 days.”
TEA reached out to G1 for comment on Thursday evening, but the organization has not responded, as of this writing.
G1 acquired the WCB from esports organization Kansas City Pioneers for an undisclosed amount in late-February and started Season 5 events for it in March. Kansas City Pioneers acquired WCB in late-2021 and helped further grow the league, which aims to provide a safe space for women to compete in a professional Rocket League circuit. While KCP did manage to help grow WCB, it also struggled to pay for it near the end of 2022, and in January it announced that it would be forced to pause Season 5 gameplay to find a buyer or secure some other type of funding.
G1 also acquired boutique gaming PC company Evolve PC in June for an undisclosed amount of money, and made several strategic cuts to staff the following month.
G1 was founded by former Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints defensive back Kenny Vaccaro (who retired from the NFL in 2021 to start his esports-focused venture), who serves as the Texas-based organization’s CEO. The organization fields professional teams competing in Trackmania, Halo, and Rocket League, and supports a number of content creators.
