Blizzard has announced that it will not allow Hearthstone Grandmaster Paul "Zalae" Nemeth to compete in future Hearthstone Esports events due to unspecified allegations against him.

"Hearthstone Esports is aware of the allegations against American Grandmaster Paul 'Zalae' Nemeth," tweeted the company. After further review, we have suspended Zalae from competing in all Hearthstone Esports events."

Blizzard also tweeted.

Blizzard did not comment on the nature of the allegations, but they are widely viewed as allegations made earlier this year by Mythgard community manager and streamer Rini that she was physically and emotionally abused during the time they lived together. The allegations were made in January, but Blizzard had no comment on the matter until today, the day before the start of the 2021 Hearthstone Grand Masters Tournament.

In an email, Blizzard clarified that Nemeth's suspension is for one year, although it would not discuss "internal eligibility determinations." It is unclear how his position will be filled at this last minute: there are no doubt many aspiring grandmasters who meet the eligibility criteria, but none will be properly prepared to participate in the tournament.

Some have complained that Nemeth's suspension was imposed based on unsubstantiated allegations, as in this Reddit thread. However, Radoslav Kolev of esports site Inven Global said he has sources who speak publicly about the matter, and further suggested that he believes it is at least partially the impetus for Blizzard's action:

"The drama in Zalae's timeline: Blizzard let him join the GM circuit and his allegations are absolutely fine," Kolev tweeted. On Wednesday, April 7, I reached out to them for comment; on April 8, Zalae was suspended."

Casters Simon "Sottle" Welch and Dan "Frodan" Chou also said it was unfair to Blizzard to proceed with this year's Grandmasters without acknowledging the allegations.Chou also said that the suspension was "further consideration" of the allegations " and emphasized that it was carried out after "further consideration" of the allegations.

Cosplayer and streamer Alkali Layke said in a Twitter thread that the suspension was "absolutely the right decision" and that the Hearthstone Grandmasters "represent the company and the game" and that Blizzard's months of He pointed out that by remaining silent, he had let down the entire community, especially women.

"As a female player attending a FUTURE event, I would like to see this situation handled properly (it needs to be capped) in order for me to feel comfortable attending HS events," she tweeted. 'I'm not trying to blame anyone or force anyone to take sides. I'm just saying that if someone still doesn't understand why managing this situation is so important."

Shu expressed similar sentiments in another tweet." This is where HS esports stands.

"And as a community, we value safety and draw the line here."

Hearthstone streamer Sayaka also supported the suspension, stating that it was "100% justified."

As for Rini, who first raised the allegations against Nemeth, she expressed gratitude for both the support she received from the community, even though Blizzard's action came too late.

"I am completely upset, but feel very heard," she wrote.

"Thank you to everyone who has asked me to respond and to everyone who has believed in me. I am truly speechless."