Valve and Perfect World ban 12 Dota 2 players over integrity breaches

12 Dota 2 players, including five who have been permanently banned, have been sanctioned by Valve and Chinese tournament organiser Perfect World for what has been described as “integrity violations”.

The bans were formally announced on May 17 via Perfect World’s official X account and confirmed by Valve.

The sanctions include lifetime bans for five players and two-year suspensions for seven others.

While the specific nature of the violations has not been made public, the sweeping bans reflect Valve’s ongoing effort to uphold competitive integrity within the Dota 2 esports scene—especially within China, a historically strong and commercially critical region for the game.

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Lifetime Bans:

• Lv “L’enfer” Yubin
• Chen “Small.kk” Zhichao
• Liew “Eren” Jun Jie
• Hu “molasses” Jiaxing
• Li “X1aOyU” Qian Yu (Myth Avenue Gaming)

Two-Year Suspensions:

• Zhu “V” Lianfa
• Feng “killa” Bonian
• Li “RanFuDao” Xinyuan
• Liu “mmmm” Junhui (aka Manic)
• Wang “marblue” Heng
• Yu “Tz” Chengwei
• Wan “59” Tao

Only one of the players, Liu “mmmm” Junhui, had competed at a notable level recently, having played in the Asian Champions League 2025 on May 16—a tournament that also served as a qualifier for the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters. Others on the list were either inactive for months or represented lesser-known squads.

This is the first major ban wave imposed by Valve since 2023, when over 40 players were banned for match-fixing and other misconduct, causing a collapse in China’s DPC Division 2.

The new wave of bans could signal further tightening of competitive scrutiny in the lead-up to the Esports World Cup and other international events.

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The bans arrive just as Dota 2’s 2025 competitive calendar ramps up, with qualifiers for the Riyadh Masters and major LAN events in progress.

Although no detailed evidence has been made public, Valve’s backing of the bans suggests serious breaches have taken place.

Given China’s central role in Dota 2 esports, these disciplinary actions could have significant implications on regional team rosters and the future of the game’s integrity policies.

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