View source for News/Top Players Boycott Games of The Future 2025

{{News
|seo_title=Top Players Boycott Games of The Future 2025
|seo_keywords=Games of The Future 2025
|image=Screenshot 2025-12-11 000600.jpg
|tags=Games of The Future 2025
|date=2025-12-10T14:59:44.000Z
|sources={{NewsSource
|source=Dot Esports
|url=https://dotesports.com/dota-2/news/ceb-n0tail-others-pull-out-games-of-the-future-2025
|article=News/Top Players Boycott Games of The Future 2025
}}
|author=Andura
|category=Drama
|content=Several well known Dota 2 players, including Ceb and N0tail, have decided not to attend the upcoming Games of the Future 2025 tournament. They made this choice after looking closely at concerns about the event and its political connections.

Many people in the Dota 2 community raised questions because the Abu Dhabi LAN is linked to Russian state backed projects. The 2024 version of the event even featured Russian President Vladimir Putin during its opening ceremony. After hearing these worries, the players took time to review the situation.

Ceb confirmed the decision in a statement on X, written for the Monkey Business stack that includes him, N0tail, Topson, and others who have played together for years. In the message, he said the team had decided to withdraw from the event after taking time to understand the concerns surrounding the tournament. He explained their reasoning by saying, “When an event becomes too politicized, for any reason, we prefer not to take part. We believe we should have the right to stay outside of these political matters and keep our focus on our passion and esports.” He added that some of the reactions from the community had been painful, saying that “some of the reactions over the past days have been hurtful, even if we understand the concerns behind them,” and noted that the team made sure to seek proper information before choosing what to do.

[[People/N0tail|N0tail]] and Topson signed the statement as well, confirming that all three former The International champions will skip Games of the Future 2025 as part of Monkey Business.

Streamer and former pro [[People/Gorgc|Gorgc]] also said he would not take part. He explained on his own channels that he and pieliedie would miss the event and that “maybe” they “will do something else in the future instead.”

Much of the community’s concern grew after a Reddit post from Ukrainian ex pro [[People/Ghostik|Ghostik]] was widely shared. He claimed that Games of the Future was entirely funded and utilized by the Russian government for its propaganda efforts. He pointed to Putin’s appearance at the 2024 event and said the Abu Dhabi edition is the same tournament with the same objectives, just in a new location.

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}}