One of the most recognizable names in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may be pulling out of the game entirely.
Team Envy, which once fielded one of the most notable CS:GO rosters of all time, is reportedly in the process of dropping all of its players according to French news site Flickshot. This includes its academy division, meaning Envy will be releasing 11 players in total.
The drastic move comes only two days after the conclusion of the CS:GO Asia Championship, where a makeshift Envy roster without veterans Vincent “Happy” Cervoni and Cédric “RpK” Guipouy ended up reaching the semifinals. While this doesn’t seem like a dire result, it stacks up rather differently for a team like Envy which at one point held two Valve Major championships.
For the past two years, despite several efforts to revitalize, the French squad has been unable to regain any of its former glory. In the meantime, some of the team’s former players were able to quickly surpass them in 2017 after joining domestic rivals G2 Esports.
Aside from, at one point being the world’s strongest CS:GO team, Envy is considered to be one of the strongest brands in esports overall. Akin to its rivals OpTic Gaming, Envy has become an esports juggernaut with a team in the franchised Overwatch League. The organization also had a team in the North American League of Legends Championship Series.
If the organization is set to leave competitive CS:GO altogether, it may have rather dire consequences for the French scene. Historically, the organization vied for dominance over the country’s competitive CS:GO scene and helped create a competitive domestic culture.
With 11 new free agents hitting the markets, the move could have a knock on effect for other teams in Europe as the players to try to find new homes.
