How Derek Taing, CEO of FPS Lounge, handed Deadlock's young esports scene its first ever lawsuit

On July 16 at 1:42 AM concurrent with the North American edition of Night Shift, where FPS Lounge was scheduled to face Melee Creeps, a brief statement signed by Derek Taing was posted instead on the team's official Twitter account

"Due to the circumstances, we are limited in what we can say publicly"

This refers to multiple complaints, both filed and pending against Derek Taing, the CEO of FPS Lounge, regarding a range of issues, from the misappropriation of funds to unpaid wages for the organization's staff, including everyone from players to editors

It was an FPS Lounge roster competing under a new banner, Poppers Puppils, that showed up for the Night Shift final, ultimately defeating Melee Creeps 2–1

The first public complaints against the organization largely surfaced around June 29, stemming from a series of tweets by video editors working with the team who cited delayed payments ranging from $300 to $20,000

All accounts agree on one point, FPS Lounge CEO Derek Taing appears to be far from reliable or honest regarding the use of the organization's funds, going so far as to ignore the primary victims when they demand answers

A pattern seemed to repeat itself for all of this individual's victims, an initial period marked by a pleasant, attentive demeanor, followed by a gradual breakdown in communication and increasingly severe payment delays

The situation was all the more frustrating given that social media platforms like Instagram revealed the lavish lifestyle Derek Taing led, frequently showing him at numerous parties while the excuse he gave staff members to justify these outings (which sometimes resulted in absences lasting several weeks) was that they were actually business trips to meet with investors

Another troubling aspect concerns the FPS Lounge team, specifically the roster, who are reportedly bound by NDAs and thus prohibited from publicly commenting on the various ongoing complaints. However, a tweet from AVG suggests that no contract was actually signed between him and the organization, implying that only members of the original roster were paid

It is unlikely, for the time being, that we will ever see the current roster compete under the FPS Lounge banner again