Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon, a professional Dota 2 player for Xipto eSports, has claimed that police officers raided his team's bootcamp in Kuala Lumpur and required him to play a full match of the game to verify his identity as a professional player. According to a Facebook post by 23savage, the team was initially placed in handcuffs and had their belongings confiscated.
The players were interrogated about their presence in the city and their professional status. 23savage alleges that one officer, familiar with Dota 2, was willing to accept social media evidence of his career. A recent Instagram photo of 23savage with Malaysian influencer Ms. Puiyi was reportedly deemed sufficient proof by the officers, leading them to remove his handcuffs.
23savage then proceeded to play a Dota 2 match in front of the officers, securing 32 kills in the hard carry role. He claims this performance was enough to convince the authorities to let the team go, though he also jokingly mentioned that two jars of Nutella were taken by the officers upon their departure.
Commenters on the post and on Reddit have expressed skepticism about the story, with many assuming it to be a jest. However, 23savage has reportedly defended his account in reply threads. The incident has not apparently hindered Xipto eSports' performance; the team recently won the EPL SEA tournament undefeated and is currently competing for a spot in the DreamLeague Season 30 tournament.
Dota 2 has seen an increase in player numbers in 2026, reaching its highest player count since late 2022. Valve continues to support the game with updates while also focusing on its new MOBA, Deadlock.