Riot Games issued a $10,700 (£8,300) fine against League of Legends org Origen this week for failing to sign the necessary employment contracts with members of its staff. 
These staff members included a number of substitute players and the head coach. The investigation by the League developer determined that Origen, the team founded by xPeke, had broken the German employment rules. The details of this focused on the fact certain contracts didn’t comply with necessary agreements regarding social security, taxes and so on.
Riot did however note that since the company made contact, Origen have made amends and complied with each request. Origen formed in 2014 in the wake of Enrique ‘xPeke’ Cedeno Martinez leaving Fnatic. The player manager was part of its first roster, and the org has enjoyed some joy in the past; they finished second to G2 Esports in the EU LCS Spring Finals in 2016. The 24 year old owner remains a part of the roster to this day, and whilst his personal brand is growing (he became a Gillette ambassador not long ago) the team is having a tougher time.
Origen are having a rough time of it right now; just last week they were relegated from the EU LCS and now they’ve been hit with a fine and some bad press. It’s now a case of can they bounce back stronger.
You can read a detailed Q&A on the matter here with the specifics.
Esports Insider says: This makes for a fortnight to forget for Origen. It’s important that all teams are legitimate across the board, and stories such as this (not to mention the fine) will help stamp out this sort of behaviour whether it was an honest oversight or not.
