Favorites, into battle! - 11.

Am I correct in understanding that this is the first paid official tournament?

In what sense? It seems there are no entry fees...
Or are you referring to the introduction of online hotseat (OH) at the rules level? In that case, it could be even simpler. Those who are fundamentally opposed to paying for Baratorch's work should also fundamentally refrain from using the HD mod (which is also the result of Baratorch's work, isn't it?). Let them play with discs or in emulation mode, for example...
After all, this small fee is not only for OH but also a tribute to the person who has been developing and implementing software solutions for so many years, spending a huge amount of his personal time.