Dota 2 player’s 32-kill game helps free teammates

Xipto Esports player Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon said a 32-kill Dota 2 match helped persuade Kuala Lumpur police to release three players who had been handcuffed at the team’s bootcamp in Malaysia.

In a Facebook post, 23savage wrote that investigators entered the house after a practice session, took the players’ passports and phones, disconnected the internet and shut down the computers. The officers then questioned the players for about two hours about their jobs and whether they were professional esports competitors.

23savage, Saieful “Fbz” Ilham and Chon Kien “Oli” Chan were handcuffed during the questioning, according to the player. The situation became less tense after one officer, wearing a France national team jersey with Michael Olise’s name and No. 11 on the back, mentioned that he knew Dota 2 and the esports organization Fnatic.

23savage showed the officer his Instagram profile. The officer recognized Malaysian influencer Ms. Puiyi in one of the photos. “After that, the investigators started to believe I really was a professional esports player and a public figure,” 23savage wrote.

The officers then removed 23savage’s handcuffs and allowed him to play a match to demonstrate his skills. He used the hero Kez and finished with 32 kills while one officer watched. The player recalled that the officers accepted his status as a professional player afterward and removed his teammates’ handcuffs, allowing the team to resume its activities.

23savage did not explain why investigators entered the bootcamp. He later confirmed in the post’s comments that the account was genuine. Malaysian authorities have not independently confirmed the incident publicly.

The player also wrote that the officers ate two jars of his Nutella during the incident. “But it’s fine. I consider it a good experience,” he wrote.

23savage has represented organizations including Fnatic, T1 and Talon Esports. He finished third with Talon at the 2023 Riyadh Masters. In ranked Dota 2, he became the first player to reach 12,000 matchmaking rating points in 2021 and 13,000 in 2022.

Follow our gaming coverage and visit our game gift marketplace for available digital products.