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Update: Orangutan Addresses Allegations
Addressing the allegations levelled by Elmarian "erumaa" Haessel, Orangutan's co-founder Jai Shah told AFK Gaming how the organization has been invested in the Game Changers ecosystem for two years and how it has always believed in women in esports.
Shah acknowledged that Orangutan X showed exceptional performance in the Game Changers 2023 Asia Pacific which gave the team the chance to participate in the VCT Game Changers 2023 APAC Elite tournament.
He said, "With our sad exit from the tournament, there was no other tournament that was scheduled this year where our players could show their talent. We had to take a business decision on letting go the team."
Shah added that after the management made the decision on their end, they wanted to get on a call with the players to figure out the logistics. "But this call never took place and (the players) didn’t wait for everything to be clarified or negotiate with us for the same. We have always taken our players into consideration for all that they have done for us and we believe it’s always a give and take relationship, it can never be one sided," he said.
Talking about the delay in salaries and the distribution of prize pool money, Shah told AFK Gaming that Orangutan has been "very upfront" with its athletes and that it always cleared the payment that it received for the prize pools.
Jai Shah said, "We don’t believe in keep their winnings with us. As soon as we receive the payments, we send it across to the respective athletes. For those payments or prize pools that we ourselves haven’t received, we have notified the same with them and told them that we would clear it as soon as we receive them."
In addition to this, Orangutan also posted a statement on its social media channels.
On Twitter, Orangutan said that it has diligently processed all pending payments owed to each athlete. It also highlighted the challenges that it faced in making international payments that led to delays. It "categorically rejected" any notion of defaulting on payments.
After addressing issues related to catering, the statement added, "Your concerns are valid, and we are actively reviewing and addressing each one to ensure a positive and respectful environment for all members of the Ape Army. Thank you for your understanding and continued support."
[The original article continues below]
Orangutan X has been one of the finest female Valorant teams in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. After placing second in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2023: Game Changers APAC Open 1, the team underwent major roster changes ahead of Open 2.
On 29th May, Indian esports organization Orangutan signed three international athletes — Emily "Emi" Lauw, Elmarian "erumaa" Haessel, and Anrionel "Twirly" Cajanding — and expanded into a six-player Valorant lineup.
After placing third and fourth in the Game Changers APAC Open 2 and 3, respectively, the team missed out on representing APAC Elite at the upcoming Game Changers Championship 2023.
In the midst of this, Orangutan X's erumaa took to Twitter on 25th November to place several allegations against the organization.
Orangutan X Players Allegedly Dropped Without 30 Days' Notice
On her social media post, erumaa claimed that the Orangutan X roster was dropped "without notice" on 23rd October. She added that the members were called into a meeting where they were informed about having to find other opportunities. She claimed that some of the players' contracts were ending in December 2023 and others on May 2024.
She added, "To end the contract org had to notify us 30 days before as stated in the contract but we were suddenly called up on 23rd OCT and then were only paid till 15th of OCT."
In her thread, she also alleged that salaries were delayed every month by the Orangutan management. She noted that salaries must be credited by the 10th of every month, adding, "On this last salary [October] they delayed more than 15 days with multiple excuses."
Additionally, erumaa claimed that the players have not still received their prize pool share from competing in different tournaments including VCT 2023 Game Changers APAC Open 3 and VCT 2023 Game Changers APAC Elite.
The player made it very clear that this was pending from FSL's side. However, she doubted whether she would receive her share after making the post.
Apart from the salary delays and the notice period hiccup, Valorant pro erumaa also claimed that the organization failed to keep up its promise when it came to organizing bootcamps and hiring chefs to cater to the needs of foreign players.
On top of this, it is also alleged that Orangutan asked the players to hand back the peripherals and bear the shipping costs.
While including screenshots from the players' group chat, erumaa wrote, "The thing makes me mad was not the money that I deserve and work for but I care a lot more about the respect. They lied, used excuses, and made promises that they couldn’t [keep]. There’s a lot more to tell when we were in India but I think this is enough to make my point."
Commenting on the thread, Orangutan X player Emi said, "While I also did talk to some people in OG, I also still never got my last month and a half salary + open 2 and 3 prize share, and waited a whole month and a half for a half baked reply, and already on 3+ weeks on my next."
AFK Gaming has reached out to Orangutan for comments and clarifications and this article will be update if and when we receive a reply.
