Kabum players leave for Keyd Stars

Brazil’s best Counter-Strike team has switched organizations following a public financial dispute.

Gabriel “Fallen” Toledo and his teammates have left Kabum in order to join Keyd Stars, citing a lack of financial support.

Toledo had earlier organized a successful crowdfunding campaign to finance the team’s trip to Katowice, Poland for an ESL qualifying event, saying the money from Kabum wasn’t adequate. 

Kabum responded by posting a lengthy statement on the team’s official Facebook page, claiming the organization had paid Toledo and his teammates all funds as they were contracted to. The cost of traveling to international events, meanwhile, was comfortably be met by the combined payments from Kabum and the team’s secondary sponsor, Target Down.

Kabum Esports said it had previously offered to assist the players in managing a team house to help the team prepare. But the players declined that offer. It’s clear from the statement that there was a sharp divide between the players and the organization, and it comes as no surprise that the divide resulted in both parties going their own way.

Keyd Stars will now be helping to finance the team’s travel to Poland for the first Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major of the year, as well as a brief practice period in Europe beforehand.

The Brazilian team made waves with a competitive showing at Major League Gaming’s X Games Invitational in January, even if they failed to move beyond the tournament’s group stage. They also showed good form at Clutch Con and managed to pass through ESL’s final offline qualifier for the Katowice major.

While the team’s competitiveness and qualification for the upcoming major impressed fans, they still haven’t managed to break through on the international stage. Their new arrangement with Keyd Stars and the support offered by the Counter-Strike community will only increase the pressure on the team to finally see that success and return Brazil to the list of top countries in Counter-Strike.