A few waves among supporters e-sporteven before the holà. The Karmine Corp (also abbreviated to KCorp or KC) community was rocked this week by the revelations of a XXI magazinewhich reports on conflicts between the club’s directors. But the most active fans of French esports won’t let this controversy spoil the KCX, the club’s high mass halfway between show, concert and exhibition match, which takes place this Saturday at La Défense Arena.
“When I saw that, I said to myself: ‘That’s a pain in the ass anyway’,” grumbles KCorp fan Tahzio. “That” is a long article in which the investigative magazine looks back at the origins of KCorp, as well as a dispute between two co-founders of the club: “Kameto”, whose real name is Kamel Kebir, and “Prime”, aka Amine Mekri. The publication claims that the latter used KC money for personal expenses, and played on the club’s reputation to obtain funding for his own activities. All this led to tensions, which have since been partially resolved thanks to the recruitment of a manager, Arthur Perticoz.
Long-standing fans
Like all the fans interviewed, Tahzio began by following Kameto on Twitch. For him, it was 2017, “back in the days of Fortnite with Gotaga”. He first became interested in Karmine when this team, created by the videographer in 2020, rose, after just one year of existence, to the LFL, the French championship of League of Legends.
It’s great to be able to support a team and vibrate together with your favorite streamer,” says Sam, who has been following Kameto since its very beginnings, on the Eclypsia web TV. You can follow e-sports competitions, and doing it with Kamel is a bonus. But the craze has grown far beyond the streamer. Very quickly, it went beyond Kameto, and I became attached to the team, the players,” explains Ferdinand, who also started following the Karmine’s exploits in the LFL. Today, I take more pleasure in watching KCorp games than I do in watching the French soccer team.”
Supporters and storytelling
And when the Blue Wall – the team’s ultrasupporters – comes to town, the atmosphere has nothing to do with soccer matches. This atmosphere is a source of French pride,” says Tahzio. When people come to our place, there’s always noise and singing, and we know how to encourage them. It’s the club’s DNA. There’s been a real craze in the community, all driven by Kamel, who used to repeat in the stream that he loves the soccer stadium atmosphere,” adds Sam. G2 CEO [une équipe e-sport européenne]said that fans have a new way of supporting their team since the arrival of KCorp in the LEC. [le championnat européen]. “
For many fans, the KCXs provide a concrete rendezvous and exhortation for all that passion. “I went to KCX3 not knowing what to expect, I was shocked by the stadium atmosphere, the fervor and passion,” recalls Ferdinand. I was screaming at other games I could barely understand, and I didn’t have a voice for three days. It made me feel like I was at a World Cup. ” Last year’s event drew a crowd of 28,000 to La Défense Arena.
But shouting together isn’t everything. “We have codes and a culture of supporterism derived from soccer, but also unique specificities,” Tahzio points out. Storytelling is very important in e-sports in general, and we’re a bit like a wrestling league. And the KC has an art of storytelling that you can’t find anywhere else.” The little French club, founded by a kid from Corbeil-Essonnes, which is climbing the ladder in the hope of one day winning the Worlds, is the stuff of dreams. “What we’re in the process of setting up is a Disney of e-sport,” described Arthur Perticoz at XXI.
“I was afraid the event would be cancelled”
So, when Revue XXI published its survey on Monday, the community was saddened by the loss of atmosphere. Some even saw in it a desire to do harm, five days before the big event. “At first there was a bit of anger, a reflex of ‘clubism’. I was afraid the event would be cancelled,” admits Tahzio. But then I realized that it was important for us to learn this information, especially about the business side of e-sports. We suspected there was something going on with Prime, but we didn’t know what: did he want to pull out of the project? Did he have a falling-out with Kameto? The article put words to things we’d been seeing for a while,” adds Ferdinand. It’s saddening about the club’s situation. It’s a very opaque environment, prone to cronyism, so it’s interesting that investigative journalism is looking into it. It helps us to understand that it’s a very big structure, and not just about matches. League of Legends. “
In the middle of this controversy: Prime. “The factual points I have been accused of are related to my poor communication and learning errors on the business side,” he justifies himself in a statement. I have apologized on numerous occasions since 2022, and we have taken steps to adjust these points internally.” Arguments that struggle to convince an already suspicious community. “In the community, there is overwhelming support for Kameto. As far as I’m concerned, Prime doesn’t have a good reputation,” murmurs Tazio. When they first teamed up, I was a bit worried, and this survey confirms my poor image of him.” The whole scene rallied behind him and supported him,” agrees Sam. On the contrary, Prime’s reply in stream sounded ‘false’ and unconvincing. I felt sorry for Kamel.
At present, KCorp fans only dread what might happen if Prime appeared on stage at KCX4 on Saturday (although he was absent at the previous one). I don’t want to reflect badly on KCorp, I don’t want Prime to be pushed around or insulted,” says Tahzio. I hate it when the team suffers from a toxic image. But on the contrary, I hope that communication will be well managed, and that it will be an even more emotional afternoon, with a banner in support of Kameto. […] The party will be all the better for it.”