Cloud9 Temporarily Halts All CS:GO Operations, Complete Lineup Benched
- Cloud9 temporarily seizes all CS:GO operations due to multiple reasons like financial impact, the ongoing pandemic, and performance woes.
- The complete CS:GO lineup has been benched, but the players are free to search for their next opportunity.
- Cloud9 will continue to monitor the North American competitive scene and will return if a worthy opportunity arises.
North American esports organization Cloud9 has temporarily taken a step back from competitive CS:GO. The organization which spent more than a million dollars assembling the ‘Cloud9 Colossus’ has put all their players on a transfer list, just 6 months after starting out on a new journey with this revamped roster. This lineup had absolutely no impact on the competitive circuit, with multiple disappointing results and not a single decisive win in any of the tournaments. Jack Etienne - CEO of Cloud9, in a statement to Rush B Media, explained that financial impact, the ongoing pandemic, and performance issues, were the primary reasons behind Cloud9 taking a temporary break from CS:GO.
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Cloud9 takes a step back from CS:GO
Cloud9 had hired popular talent Henry “HenryG” Greer as the General Manager of their CS:GO division in Sep 2020. He was tasked with the objective to assemble a completely new CS:GO team for the organization, one worthy of competing at the highest level and put Cloud9 back on the map as one of the best Counter-Strike teams in the world.
The initial lineup assembled cost Cloud9 quite the fortune, but an attempt was made to break a few existing barriers in esports as the contract information between Cloud9 and the players was made public knowledge. However, despite doing everything right the team never took off. The initial struggle soon became a prolonged reality that drowned Cloud9 financially and with the global health situation not improving as expected, the organization had to pull the plug for the time being.
A statement released by the organization reads as follows “COVID has prevented us from assembling the team in North America as they had originally planned,” the remote training which has been running for quite some time now “isn’t conducive for building an organization in the way Cloud9 usually does”.
Mr. Etienne in a statement to Rush B Media said that “The initial plan for the CS:GO team was to be located in Los Angeles when COVID-19 restrictions were loosened and safe to do so, however for players like ALEX, that was impossible. France would not allow ALEX to return to the country should he leave for any reason, creating a difficult situation for bootcamps and other team meetups.”
Cloud9 bench entire CS:GO lineup
When it comes to the players, Cloud9 has benched the entire lineup and does not intend to tie them to the organization in order to recoup any amount spent on them. They are free agents and are free to start their search for a new home. Meanwhile, this is not the end for Cloud9 when it comes to CS:GO and the organization will make a come back after examining the NA scene, waiting for a worthy opportunity.
Cloud9 benched CS:GO roster is as follows,
- Alex "ALEX" McMeekin
- William "mezii" Merriman
- Patrick "es3tag" Hansen
- Ricky "floppy" Kemery
- Erick "Xeppaa" Bach
RELATED: HenryG Explains Why Cloud9 Announces Player Salaries
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