Tekken player Kashi Snake says EWC prize money remains unpaid over a year later

Ahsan Kabir Published September 30, 2026

An issue with prize money distribution has caused quite a stir in the fighting game community and the broader Esports World Cup (EWC) space. Pakistani Tekken 8 player Muhammad “Kashi Snake” Qasim recently posted on social media, claiming he’s been waiting over a year now to get paid for his result at the EWC 2025 Tekken 8 Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).

A year in waiting: player calls out EWC for unpaid winnings

Kashi Snake participated in the EWC 2025 Tekken 8 Last Chance Qualifier and achieved a rank of 9th-12th in the tournament. This netted him $3,000 in prize money. Despite the player following up multiple times, he claims that the amount has still not been paid to him over a year later. EWC has not provided a public response to the player’s allegation.

Image Credits: X

Kashi Snake mentioned that he had previously checked for updates on his payment but received no response. He added that he tagged @EWC_EN in his post, asking for assistance to resolve the situation given how much time had passed.

The post gathered roughly 30,000 views, prompting several users to reply and call on the EWC to address the matter.

What the EWC rulebook says about payout timelines

The reported delay is noteworthy because the official EWC 2025 rulebook outlines clear guidelines for prize payouts. According to these rules, payments are scheduled to be processed within five weeks following the conclusion of a tournament, starting from the date the participant submits all required payment information and documentation.

Furthermore, specific game rulebooks account for extended timelines under certain conditions. For example, the PUBG Mobile World Cup (PMWC) rules note that payment processing may take up to 90 days after a request is submitted. EWC guidelines also permit payout holds in cases involving ongoing investigations or incomplete payment documentation.

Given these factors, it is difficult to determine whether EWC missed its contractual deadlines without verified details regarding the player’s specific tournament and submission history. However, assuming all required documentation was submitted correctly and no special circumstances apply, a one-year delay would be well past the reasonable timeframe.

Community reactions and our take

Image credit: Esports World Cup

The issue has sparked multiple responses on X, with community members especially emphasizing communication.

X user Raza (@Raza2_) highlighted the broader issue, stating, “The bigger issue is the lack of communication,” and arguing that players should not be left without a response for months. Another X user questioned how a situation involving delayed prize payments could still be happening in 2026.

From our perspective, the repeated emergence of these grievances points to a deeper structural friction within the modern esports ecosystem. When massive international circuits scale up their production and marketing, backend administrative infrastructure often fails to keep pace.

While cross-border taxation, banking compliance, and international routing are genuinely complex logistics for an event of the EWC’s scale, the burden of these bottlenecks should not fall entirely on the competitors.

For esports to mature into a truly stable career path, major tournament organizers must establish transparent, escrow-style payment tracking systems or independent grievance channels, rather than relying on viral X threads to trigger a customer service response.

Featured image credit: Esports Foundation