North American giants Cloud9 have made the decision to drop their CS:GO roster after ESL Pro League Season 12 ends. They picked up the former ATK roster in January 2020, but are parting ways to start “a new phase” in their CS:GO development.
Cloud9 are undergoing yet another CS:GO roster shuffle, as they look to drop the former ATK squad after eight months under the org’s banner.
The organization announced on September 6 that they are going to drop the South African-US hybrid roster at the end of ESL Pro League Season 12 as they start “a new phase” in their CS:GO development.
“We’re entering a new stage in our CS:GO development, and we’re really excited to show our fans and community what we’ve been working on,” CEO Jack Etienne told fans in a blog post.
The rebuild will mark their fourth major shuffle in just under three years since they won the 2018 Boston Major. The organization hasn’t found much success over the years, although their run with the ATK roster was their best since their major triumph.
They finished fourth in Flashpoint Season 1 and DreamHack Masters Spring, and most recently finished in 5-6th in ESL One Cologne and DreamHack Open Summer. The team won’t be departing immediately, playing out the rest of ESL Pro League Season 12 while Cloud9 looks for a new home for them.
“As a result of this new chapter, our front office is working to find our current roster homes with new teams that are good fits and will help them further their careers, and they will continue to play under the C9 banner until these moves are completed,” the org added.
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The roster shuffle, however, could spell disaster for Cloud9’s major chances. They currently sit on the cusp of making the major at 2900 points. However, FURIA is closing in quickly behind them with 2875 points to fight for the final spot. A roster change this late could see them most of their points if the Rio Major goes ahead.
Today we near the end of #C9CSGO's current chapter as we enter a rebuilding phase.
During this process, our current team will continue as Cloud9 while we evaluate new opportunities for them.📰 Read more: https://t.co/PSXdIlSlep📺 Watch Full: https://t.co/Zmn61guobc pic.twitter.com/CvEB0piFae
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) September 6, 2020
Could HenryG be joining Cloud9 to help their CS:GO rebuild?
Rumors have been flying about former CS:GO caster Henry ‘HenryG’ Greer joining the North American organization to help them lead the rebuild. The commentator announced he was hanging up the mic on September 4 to pursue a new project.
- Read more: HenryG announces retirement from casting
“I have never been hungrier to conquer my next challenge. You’ll see that I’m not kidding when I say that my next move is going to be a colossal one for the CS:GO community,” he said in his exit interview.
Cloud9 have hinted at him joining in a Reddit thread about their roster shuffle with a sly little eyes emoji. Nothing is confirmed yet — although news should be coming out of the HenryG camp on September 7.
Cloud9 currently sit at the bottom of the ESL Pro League Season 12 standings with an 0-2 record.
