FISSURE CEO Nikolay Vesnin has announced that the tournament organizer has repaid approximately half of its outstanding Counter-Strike 2 prize money debt. In an open letter published on November 4, Vesnin acknowledged the remaining obligations to teams and players, explained the company’s financial difficulties and outlined plans for further repayments in the first quarter of 2027.
The statement follows months of concerns over unpaid prize money from FISSURE tournaments. In June, the organizer confirmed outstanding payments to 15 CS2 organizations, including FURIA, G2, Astralis and Falcons.
FISSURE confirms partial repayment of CS2 prize money
According to Vesnin, the company began repaying its outstanding obligations during the summer of 2026. Revenue generated from a tournament held in China helped cover approximately half of the CS2 debt, while the first wave of payments to Dota 2 teams began in October.
The CEO acknowledged the company’s responsibility for the situation.
We acknowledge the debt in full.
FISSURE remains in contact with the affected organizations and intends to establish individual repayment schedules with each club.
The next major phase of payments is planned for the first quarter of 2027, provided the company’s financial plan is successfully implemented. Vesnin also promised to publish a report on repayment progress during the same period.
The organizer has not disclosed the exact remaining debt or confirmed a final deadline for clearing all outstanding payments.
Recently, many questions have been raised regarding outstanding prize money payments for our CS2 and Dota 2 tournaments.
We understand the concerns of players, teams, and the community, and we acknowledge our responsibility for the current situation. https://t.co/Fo11yOGy8s
— FISSURE_ENG (@fissure_eng) November 4, 2026
Vesnin explains the financial problems behind the debt
In the open letter, Vesnin admitted that FISSURE made serious mistakes in commercial and financial planning during 2025.
One of the main problems was an expected partnership with an international betting company that was never finalized. FISSURE also failed to secure enough sponsors from other industries to diversify its revenue.
Additionally, one tournament did not meet the participant lineup requirements established in a commercial agreement, resulting in further financial losses.
According to Vesnin, these issues created a situation where tournament expenses continued increasing while revenue failed to meet expectations. He accepted personal responsibility alongside the company management.
The financial difficulties also forced FISSURE to reduce its workforce at the end of 2025 and cancel three planned tournaments across 2026 and 2027.
FISSURE changes tournament funding model
Despite the outstanding debt, FISSURE intends to continue organizing esports tournaments. Vesnin explained that maintaining operations is necessary to generate revenue and fulfill existing financial obligations.
The company has also introduced changes intended to prevent similar problems in future events.
Most importantly, the prize pools for new tournaments are now secured before the events begin.
According to the CEO, the company has also revised its production expenses, strengthened cooperation with host cities and local partners, and reconsidered how tournament locations are selected.
FISSURE previously announced Playground 4, a Counter-Strike 2 tournament scheduled for August 18–30, 2027, with $1,250,000 in combined prize money and team payments.
While the organizer says its financial model has changed, the remaining prize money obligations have not yet been fully settled. The next public update on the repayment process is expected in the first quarter of 2027.
