VALORANT participant Joseph ‘Ban‘ Seung-min has acquired a 12-month suspension from all Riot Video games-sanctioned occasions after breaching guidelines surrounding match-fixing and match manipulation.
Following a four-month investigation, the previous International Esports participant was discovered responsible of breaching Riot Video games’ Esports International Code of Conduct. The ruling prevents him from competing in any VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) occasion till the tip of 2026.
Introduced on December 18th, 2025, Ban breached Article 4.14 of the International Code of Conduct after Riot Video games grew to become conscious of screenshots discussing match manipulation for a VCT Pacific match.
The match in query was a VCT Pacific encounter between International Esports and Workforce Secret, held on July 19th, 2025. Importantly, Ban claimed that he wouldn’t observe by with the discussions, however his engagement nonetheless violated the Code of Conduct.
Article 4.14 states, “esports professionals could not match-fix or in any other case manipulate the result of any match or competitors or request, encourage, or instruct others to control it.”
Upon conclusion of the investigation, Riot Video games was unable to confirm screenshots. Nonetheless, Riot Video games uncovered different info by ‘witness testimonies and doc assessment’, which indicated that Ban ‘could have engaged in match-fixing associated actions’.
Consequently, Ban is unable to compete for the following 12 months and should participate in instructional coaching targeted on “integrity and ethics” earlier than returning to competitors.
Riot Video games reveals that failure to adjust to the coaching may lead to additional disciplinary actions in opposition to Ban and the crew he’s representing.
Ban’s Profession So Far
Since starting his VALORANT profession in 2020, Ban has represented a number of high-profile organisations throughout VCT Pacific and VCT North America. Stints representing Luminosity Gaming, T1, and TALON yielded blended outcomes, with one among his highlights being a third-place end in the 2023 VCT Pacific League.
From Could to November, Ban competed beneath the International Esports banner, scoring a top-12 placement in Stage 2 of VCT Pacific. On November nineteenth, Ban departed the organisation as a part of its wider rebuild.
Integrity inside VALORANT esports has come into query all through 2025. In July, Riot Video games shared the outcomes of an investigation into match-fixing allegations inside the Tier 2 North American scene. The developer and writer discovered no proof of dishonest or misconduct.
