StarLadder has returned to hosting the most important tournament of the season — but the start of the Budapest Major 2025 became a subject of criticism within the first hours. Instead of game-related hype, the community is discussing broadcast technical issues and a rather strange protest connected to Imperial — which, as it later turned out, had nothing to do with the team at all.
Problems with sound during the broadcast
Already during the opening matches, viewers encountered constant disruptions:
- some rounds were played without commentators;
- in several moments, the sound disappeared completely;
- the wrong highlights were triggered.
These were not isolated incidents — the issues continued in real time, and the broadcast kept “breaking.” On social media, this has already turned into a wave of memes.
Team Spirit even joked that they had reached out to the “same” StarLadder sound engineer, who supposedly “is proud to be the first deaf audio engineer in CS2 history.” The joke went viral, but for StarLadder the situation is an undeniable low point.
We've contacted the StarLadder Budapest Major audio guy. He'd like to express how honored he is to be the first deaf audio engineer at a CS2 tournament in history. @StarLadder_CS are the real ones for providing this amazing opportunity!
— Team Spirit CS2 (@Team__Spirit) November 24, 2025
The community is actively discussing the fact that such problems at the start of a Major are a serious reputational risk for StarLadder, which is returning after a long break and was expected to prove it can compete with ESL or BLAST.
The scandalous “protest” around Imperial and the conflict with sponsors
And this was not the only hit to the Major’s image. A group of people appeared at the venue holding signs that said “FUCK VALVE.” At first, this was connected to Imperial and their sponsor Gamdom, since Valve had recently forced the team to revert to an old logo due to restrictions on gambling brands. However, the situation changed drastically after an official statement: Gamdom and Imperial are NOT connected to the protest
What's going on wtfff pic.twitter.com/hFMXxOyp0e
— Akuma_AiGhT (@JimmyMalavong) March 29, 2024
Gamdom’s owner, Felix, wrote in the comments under a tweet by a SHTAB editor that:
- the protest was not organized by Gamdom or Imperial;
- it was an act of deliberate sabotage;
- the person responsible for the incident is Monarch (Ossi Ketola) — the same individual who previously organized the stage invasion at PGL Copenhagen;
- Gamdom has announced a reward for identifying the people in the video and is preparing legal action.
Thus, the protest turned from “criticism of Valve” into another attempt at a targeted attack on Imperial and their partners.
This is not Gamdom or Imperial, this is Ossi Ketola / Csgoempire in an attempt to sabotage & or troll us. Anyone who has any info on these individuals who are holding up the signs will be rewarded well, we will take most likely legal action
— Felix (@GamdomHowly) November 24, 2025
Meanwhile, StarLadder published the video in blurred form “for ethical reasons,” but the scandal had already spread across the internet.
Community reaction
Despite StarLadder’s attempts to keep the situation under control, social media has already exploded with a wave of sarcasm, memes, and sharp comments. Part of the community is mocking the chaos at the start of the Major, others are making ironic remarks about the “audio engineer” and the new performance surrounding Imperial. However, the tone of the discussion is clear: most people did not expect such a beginning from a tournament that was supposed to be the culmination of the season.
@edeninhooo:
Protesting at stage 1 of the Major.
@BombaNootropics:
This is the kind of representation that strengthens the scene. Shoutout to StarLadder for making it happen.
@Oakesst1:
It’s always good to see such a stellar act of inclusion. Kudos to StarLadder.
@Kiku_1993:
StarLadder always pushing boundaries.
@Symlink420:
I bet they can’t beat their master, PGL.
@notrex28:
Bro, not the Copenhagen accident again…
How this affects StarLadder’s image and the status of the Major
StarLadder is returning to hosting a Major after many years away — and this event was supposed to be their statement about a full comeback as a top-tier tournament organizer.
However, the opening day raised doubts about their level of preparation:
- technical problems in the very first match undermine trust in the production;
- reputational incidents at the venue create a negative informational backdrop;
- social media is shaping a narrative not about the matches, but about the chaos surrounding the event.
And now, after it became clear that the “protest” was staged by external actors, StarLadder is receiving additional criticism for weak security and communication.
For a Major, this kind of attention is dangerous: instead of emphasizing the importance of the tournament, it became — within hours — an object of memes, sarcasm, and scandal-driven discussions.
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Skin.Club Pick’em Challenge
Running alongside the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is the Skin.Club Pick’em Challenge — an interactive feature where fans predict match results, choose advancing teams, and earn points throughout the tournament. By making accurate picks, participants unlock rewards ranging from premium skins to rare gloves and knives, with the ultimate prize being the iconic AWP | Dragon Lore.
