SPUNJ claims BLAST is significantly behind on some payments amidst ongoing layoffs
On the most recent episode of the HLTV Confirmed podcast , Counter-Strike commentator and pundit Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill claimed that Danish tournament organizer BLAST is having issues getting payments out on time.
Dust2.us18 Oct 2026 · 1 min read
BLAST is currently in the middle of laying off some staff due to their difficult financial situation, and the problems may be extending to payments.
Then, if they start to get pushed around by PGL and they aren't getting any of the big names and they're not able to deliver the numbers and it's not looking as glamorous to sponsors...
While BLAST has been one of the main tournament organizers in tier one Counter-Strike for many years, cracks are beginning to show that threaten their spot in the top echelon of the scene.
PGL recently announced the invites for their Bucharest event set to run at the start of 2027. Despite directly overlapping with BLAST Bounty Winter, all top teams on the October VRS decided to attend the PGL event.
Some things potentially contributing to BLAST missing out on all the top teams to start next year are the smaller prize pool and lack of an arena for playoffs.
also discussed how BLAST events come with a more substantial time commitment for players, as they create more content and media, something that players tend to dislike.
