Supercell preparing legal action following league’s failure to pay prize money

Mobile game developer Supercell has announced that it will be preparing to take legal action against Latin America Master League (LAML), the first all-football club esports league for Supercell’s Brawl Stars.

The announcement on Twitter yesterday came after multiple players complained that they had not yet received prize money from the competition, which ended in December 2021. In the statement, Supercell also committed to providing compensation for all players affected as soon as possible.

Third-person shooter Brawl Stars initially launched in 2018 and has since offered esports tournaments through multiple third-party organisers, including the likes of ESL.

The tournament announcement was met with excitement in 2021. Latin America was seen as a potential hotbed for mobile gaming esports due to the popularity of titles like Free Fire. The initial release claimed it was the first international esports tournament to feature only football clubs as participants.

The event included a $100,000 (~£71,014) prize pool, with the likes of Flamengo, Corinthians, Boca Juniors, River Plate, Chivas, Atlético Nacional and Universidad de Chile signing up to compete in the league.

Football organisation-themed skins were also available for a limited time in the Brawl Stars shop.

There is no word yet on the future of the tournament and its partnership with the 13 participating teams, or whether in-game skins will stay in Brawl Stars going forward. There also has been no official comment from LAML on prize money payments or Supercell’s statement.

The intervention by Supercell is rare and echoes other moves made by developers towards third-party organisers. Recently, League of Legends publisher Riot Games notably ended its partnership with North American amateur esports platform PlayVS in order to allow all tournament organisers to host scholastic competitions across North America.