FunPlus Phoenix leaves CS:GO

FunPlus Phoenix has shut down its CS:GO division, the Chinese organization announced last night.

FPX entered the Counter-Strike scene in January 2021 with the acquisition of the former GODSENT international lineup. Martin “STYKO” Styk, Asger “⁠Farlig⁠” Jensen, Jesse “⁠zehN⁠” Linjala, and Pavle “⁠Maden⁠” Bošković competed with two temporary players, Chris “chrisJ” de Jong and Miikka “suNny” Kemppi, until April when the organization brought in the in-game leader Luka “emi” Vuković.

FPX had been in a slump for months. The players did not attend many tier-one events and when they did, the results were just mediocre. The last nail on the project’s coffin came when they failed to qualify to PGL Stockholm Major in October, thus missing the first Valve-sponsored tournament in over two years. Weeks ago, the Chinese organization had already parted ways with general manager Petar “⁠peca⁠” Marković and head coach Jonatan “⁠Devilwalk⁠” Lundberg, indicating it wasn’t happy with the results.

“Due to limitations and difficulties during our remote management, we feel that a change has to be made,” FPX said in a statement. “All our members now are available to explore more options in CS:GO esports, and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors!”

This was FPX’s second venture into CS:GO. The Chinese organization tried to enter the scene in 2020, with the acquisition of Heroic’s lineup. The deal, however, fell through at the last minute because Patrick “es3tag” Hansen agreed to join Astralis instead at the end of his contract with Heroic.