A Twitch streamer is accusing the Overwatch professional player Walid “Mouffin” Bassal of using his fame as a pro to make advances towards underage girls online. The team has put him on the bench to investigate the incident. The player was later released.
These are the allegations: The Twitch streamer KhaleesiBB shared her experiences with the player “Mouffin” on Twitter. They were virtually together for a while. She alleges that he cheated on her even before they met in person by texting other women and asking them for nude photos.
When they met each other in person at TwitchCon, he was “in her face” within minutes and tried to kiss her. She felt uncomfortable afterward and asked friends not to leave her alone with him.
She describes the time and relationship with him in several paragraphs: Mouffin allegedly continued to text other women while she was aiming for an “exclusive” relationship and later wanted to be friends with him.
Mouffin’s behavior towards other women is described as “creepy,” unsettling, and intrusive.
Sexual Predators in Overwatch
The allegations center around Mouffin’s behavior towards other women, some of whom are said to be underage. There are mentions of 15-year-olds:
- Mouffin allegedly asked women for “nude” photos and sent his own nude photos.
- He allegedly used his position as an Overwatch celebrity and his charm to “open doors” – since joining the Overwatch League, he would exploit his new status.
- He allegedly messaged “hundreds of women,” sent photos of his genitals to most of them, and did not care about their age.
- He allegedly offered alcohol to minors.
- Mouffin reportedly tried to cover up his misconduct by promising girls gifts, like a new computer, or by intimidating them.
The Twitch streamer states that Mouffin is not an isolated case. There are several in the Overwatch community who behave like sexual predators. Blizzard is aware of the case but has not taken enough action in her opinion, which is why she is going public.
It is said that these people cannot be allowed to get away with abusing their popularity to exploit others sexually. The community must start to stand up against this behavior, or it will continue.
This is how the team reacted: The player’s team, Boston Uprising, has responded. They say they have heard the allegations, take them very seriously, and will investigate: Mouffin was benched for the upcoming match while the incident is being examined.
There is no statement from Mouffin himself.
MeToo in Overwatch
This is the larger context: A similar case occurred 2 years ago at Boston Uprising as well. In 2018, player Jonathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez was said to have contacted a 14-year-old girl online. It also involved sexually explicit images.
DreamKazper’s contract was terminated back then. Now, Boston Uprising is being scrutinized by fans as to why such cases repeatedly occur there. Perhaps Boston needs to be more careful in scouting who they recruit into the Overwatch League.
There are also several cases from the esports universe, especially in Overwatch, where young esports players contact younger female fans online. This seems to be a serious problem.
The Overwatch caster and expert Montecristo recommends Overwatch professionals to think twice before asking others for nude photos, as this could help them avoid embarrassing mistakes.
Montecristo also wonders why there is more “sexual drama” in Overwatch than in any other esports combined.
As early as 2017, Korean esports professionals were accused of asking their female fans for “personal meetings”.
Player Released from Team
Update 5.4, 0:03 AM: About a week after the original report, the team Boston Uprising announced that they have terminated the contract of the Overwatch player Mouffin.
According to sources informed ESPN, the Overwatch League is now investigating the incident.
The Twitch streamer KhaleesiBB, who made allegations against Mouffin, thanked Boston Uprising on Twitter. She appreciated their decision to do the right thing.
There is still no statement from Mouffin.
Update 7.4., 5:32 PM: There is now a statement from Mouffin, and it is quite unusual: The Overwatch pro says he wanted to quickly find a woman to avoid an arranged marriage.
