Quest Esports have been left to seek a substitute player just days out from the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters following failed contract negotiations with loaned Nigma Galaxy offlaner Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf on July 15.

Quest made the shocking announcement in the early hours of the morning, thanking both ATF and Nigma for the player’s services. ATF was a key component in seeing off Team Secret ME in the qualifier for Riyadh Masters and helped Quest to a top-four finish at the Bali Major a fortnight ago.

At the time of writing, NAVI player Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau has been listed as ATF’s replacement for the tournament according to Liquipedia, but without an official announcement confirming his addition, it remains unclear whether this will be the case for the July 19 tournament.

Quest also mentioned that, despite their “best efforts,” a negotiation over the player’s continued contract with the squad was unable to be resolved, meaning ATF will return to Nigma and likely be riding the bench ahead of 2023’s version of The International in October.

The situation took a turn just hours after Quest’s announcement, with ATF himself revealing Quest offered him a full-time contract as his loan period ended after the Bali Major, but it was “not acceptable” for him.

“The Quest org don’t want to extend the loan for there [sic] own reasons, they offered me a contract that I don’t agree on,” said ATF, adding that Quest offered the Jordanian an ultimatum: sign the new contract, or miss out on Riyadh.

ATF felt hurt at being forced to make the decision, calling it “sad” that Quest would rather recruit a stand-in than extend Nigma’s loan to include the Riyadh Masters since he helped Quest qualify for the event. He also added Nigma did their best to help with an attempt at extending the loan or a possible buyout.

As the Dota community went into a frenzy over the sudden decision, Nigma Galaxy issued their own statement, saying it was best for ATF to compete at Riyadh and for TI qualifiers in late July and was hoping on reaching a resolution with Quest. However, no such agreement was made.

“Unfortunately, Quest decided not to continue the path of the loan,” wrapped Nigma, noting that they rightfully could not influence what another organization could commit to in regard to player contracts. Nigma only wanted the best for ATF, according to their statement, even going so far as to play against him and Quest in the Riyadh Masters qualifier. Nigma would ultimately fall to Quest and Team Secret ME, missing the tournament.

Quest responded hours later with a Twitter thread responding to Nigma and ATF’s statement at length. The organization said its mission has always been to “build a team based on respect, hard work, and shared goals,” and that a renegotiation of the previously agreed-upon loan was out of the question.

Quest said they had stuck to the terms of the contract all the way throughout, while “others” wanted to renegotiate these terms days before the Riyadh Masters. Quest added that ATF had asked for a new agreement to continue through the TI period, which would see the loaned player represent Quest at TI should the team qualify.

“Our team’s commitment goes beyond personal and financial gain—it’s about the love for the game and shared success, and anyone who joins us must share this vision,” finalized Quest.

It’s an ugly end for the partnership between ATF and Quest, with the squad just barely missing out on qualifying for TI. Had they earned enough Dota Pro Circuit points to receive an invite to Seattle, it may have been enough of a caveat to extend the loan to prevent the loss of DPC points.

As it stands, Quest will take to the server in Riyadh without ATF this week, while the Jordanian remains benched from Nigma Galaxy in the interim. Both Quest and Nigma will be forced to battle it out for a spot at the TI regional qualifiers in late July, as neither squad secured a top 12 DPC spot.