Sweden’s most celebrated Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team has undergone another significant roster change.
After spending more than five years on the roster of NiP, founding player Rikard “Xizt” Landström has been removed. Xizt’s exit comes only two days after the conclusion of the second iteration of the CS_Summit, where NiP bottomed out in eighth place, after losses to Heroic and eventual winners Team Liquid.
NiP’s replacement for Xizt is Dennis Edman. His signing with NiP ends a near two-month-long hiatus for the 27-year-old, as his previous team GODSENT elected to bench him after failing to achieve any success with their former roster. Dennis will be taking up the role as in-game leader for the NiP squad, which was able to win IEM Oakland on Nov. 19.
The team’s success in Oakland came after their most significant roster change yet, when they replaced founding player Adam Friberg for up-and-comer Fredrik “REZ” Sterner. But following their victory, the team’s results once again began deteriorating.
NiP, which is still one of the game’s most popular teams, is currently in the process of finding an additional gameplay coach for its CS:GO roster. The team’s announcement doesn’t mention if Xizt is being considered for the role, however.
The departure of Xizt means only Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund and Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg remain as founding players on the roster.
