WEEK 27 BIGGEST CS NEWS

Get an overview of the biggest news stories in the Counter-Strike scene from Week 27.

FALLEN JOINS FURIA AFTER LEAVING IMPERIAL

Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, a legendary figure in CS:GO, has joined FURIA, Brazil’s leading Counter-Strike organization. The move comes after FalleN’s departure from Imperial and follows a negotiation period since June. FalleN’s acquisition cost FURIA $700,000, but fans believe his impact on and off the server justifies the price. Despite previous hints at retirement, FalleN has signed a contract with FURIA through 2025. The team is undergoing significant restructuring, with Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes also joining the team. FalleN’s addition is expected to boost FURIA’s performance, especially with the upcoming release of Counter-Strike 2. The team will debut the new lineup at the IEM Cologne Play-Ins. FalleN’s career shift has reignited his competitive spirit, and fans are eager to see how this move will shape his legacy.

ASTRALIS GETS KASPER STRAUBE AS NEW SPORTS DIRECTOR

Kasper Straube, former Head of Performance at Heroic, has been appointed as the new Sports Director of Astralis. The position was previously held by Kasper Hvidt, who left Astralis in late June due to disappointing results. Kasper was set to start in October, but he has since left Heroic and assumed his new role at Astralis immediately. Kasper brings extensive knowledge of esports performance and team cohesion to the role. Astralis CEO, Anders Hørsholt, expressed confidence in Kasper’s ability to elevate performance and results. Straube is eager to contribute to Astralis and build a healthy performance culture, while also acknowledging the significant task ahead.

I am of course happy that everything has fallen into place, so that with immediate effect, Kasper Straube can take up the role of Sports Director in our organization. Kasper brings a lot of experience from his time at Heroic, where he has held several roles, most recently as Head of Performance for the Counter-Strike team. The work he has contributed to in Heroic has been impressive and I am looking forward to working with him

CEO Anders Hørsholt

Twitch Streamer ohnePixel gifted over $130k worth of cases

Twitch streamer ohnePixel, known for his CS:GO skin trading and unboxing, received a gift of approximately $130,000 worth of cases from a fan with the username “Server Controller”. This generous gift comes in the middle of a boom the in the CS:GO skin economy, driven by the announcement of Counter-Strike 2 and Valve’s crackdown on accounts linked to gambling sites. The gifted items include rare and valuable cases and capsules, which ohnePixel opened on his live stream. Fellow Twitch streamer xQc reacted to the news with disbelief, humorously suggesting that opening the cases could reduce their value to mere cents. The event has drawn significant attention in the gaming community.

FNATIC BENCH NICOODOZ

Fnatic has benched Nico “nicoodoz” Tamjidi, marking a significant change in their lineup. This decision follows a series of underwhelming performances, including a disappointing end to the spring season. Nicoodoz, the Danish star AWPer, joined Fnatic in 2022 but failed to replicate his previous success in Copenhagen Flames. Despite his 1.07 rating over the past 12 months, Fnatic struggled to get satisfying results. The future of nicoodoz remains uncertain.

FNATIC COMPLETE ROSTER WITH DEXTER and AFRO

Fnatic has completed its new roster with the addition of Christopher “dexter” Nong and Aurélien “afro” Drapier. Dexter, an Australian in-game leader, joins from MOUZ, freeing up William “mezii” Merriman to focus on his rifler role. Afro, a French AWPer, steps into an international team for the first time, replacing the benched Nico “nicoodoz” Tamjidi. The decision to sign dexter was a surprise to the community, as was the choice of afro due to his relative lack of experience. The new Fnatic lineup is set to debut at the IEM Cologne Play-in event.

VIRTUS.PRO SIGN MIR ON LONG-TERM CONTRACT

Virtus.pro has signed Nikolay “mir” Bityukov, a Russian rifler known for his exceptional skills and controversial reputation, to a long-term contract. mir, who previously played for Entropiq and Spirit, will replace David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan, who is benched due to injury. Despite his reputation as a challenging teammate, Virtus.pro believes mir’s skill makes him the best fit for the team. The organization’s CEO, Nikolai Petrossian, expressed confidence that mir will realize his full potential with Virtus.pro. mir’s debut with the team is set for July 8 at the FiReLEAGUE Battle 2023 in Buenos Aires.

BLAST LOSE €11.5M IN 2022

BLAST, a global esports and technology company, reported a loss of €11.576 million in 2022, according to its annual report. Despite this, the company saw a significant increase in revenue from €13.47 million in 2021 to €31.631 million in 2022. This growth was primarily driven by the expansion of its BLAST Premier tournament and its partnership with Epic Games for the Fortnite Championship Series. BLAST also launched BLAST.tv, a platform for streaming live esports events and interacting with other fans. The company invested in its Copenhagen studio and broadcast technology, and expects to see continued growth and improved profitability in 2023. BLAST also secured a €10 million loan from a major shareholder, leaving it with a cash position of €9 million at the end of 2022.