Last reviewed: August 28, 2026
3DMAX’s Counter-Strike 2 project is facing serious uncertainty after current and former staff publicly confirmed long-running payment problems inside the French organization, following reporting from insider Sebastien “KRL” Perez that the team owes players, staff and other parties more than €1.5 million.
First-hand accounts, not just an outside allegation
Former head coach Pierre “YouKnow” Marco said that during his eight-month tenure, the payments he did receive were consistently used to cover previously overdue months rather than keeping his salary current — meaning he finished his time with the team never having actually caught up financially. Current coach Damien “wasiNk” Dufour connected the instability directly to results, saying players were competing with the knowledge that poor performances could threaten their ability to get paid and cover debts, and that the added pressure contributed to breakdowns in important matches. Longest-standing player Bryan “Maka” Canda described a group that had continued competing despite mounting pressure that he said had been building since the previous summer.
The reported €1.5 million figure needs a caveat
The total debt figure comes from KRL’s reporting and has not been independently verified. What is directly supported by the statements from Maka, wasiNk and YouKnow is that payment delays existed and became a persistent issue for people working inside the project — a narrower but still serious claim than the headline number.
A takeover that fell through
Adding another layer to the story, French YouTuber CYRILmp4 reportedly entered negotiations to acquire 3DMAX and signed a preliminary agreement before the deal ultimately collapsed. According to the same reporting, players declined other opportunities while those talks were ongoing — meaning part of the uncertainty period may have come from players holding out for a structural fix that never materialized, rather than simply from delayed paychecks.
What’s actually at stake now
Maka has publicly appealed for outside support to help the team continue attending upcoming LAN events, tying that request directly to 3DMAX’s stated ambition of continuing to fight for Major qualification. No player departure has been confirmed, and no acquisition has been announced, so claims that the roster is leaving or that a deal is imminent would currently be speculation. But the shift from an outside report to direct member confirmation changes the nature of the story: this is no longer only about an alleged number, but about whether a tier-relevant French roster — fielding Maka, Lucky, misutaaa, Kursy and Graviti under wasiNk — has the operational stability to complete its intended schedule.
HLTV’s report also placed 3DMAX’s situation alongside other recent payment disputes involving Passion UA and Monte, suggesting the financial strain running through parts of the European CS2 scene isn’t isolated to one organization. That broader pattern doesn’t excuse or explain 3DMAX’s specific numbers, but it does mean the eventual resolution here — whether through new investment, a structured payment plan, or a takeover completed where CYRILmp4’s talks failed — will likely be read as a signal for how exposed mid-tier European rosters currently are to funding gaps.
What to watch next
The most concrete near-term signals will be whether 3DMAX issues an official statement addressing the debt and a payment timeline, whether outstanding payments actually get settled, and whether the team shows up to its next scheduled LAN commitments. Any of those developments would say more about the project’s viability than the disputed total itself.