SK Gaming, one of the most storied names in esports, will not renew its contracts with its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team, the organization announced today.
SK recruited the all-Danish lineup a little less than a year ago. While the players performed decently in international competition, they were never able to win any tournaments.
The move hardly came out of the blue. On June 15, SK’s star player Jacob “Pimp” Winneche joined Team Liquid, leaving SK for a chance to play in North America. With one of their most consistent members out, it looked all the more as if the lineup was playing on borrowed time.
The move to disband the roster also fuels speculation that SK has finally resolved a dispute with Luminosity Gaming. On May 28, ESPN reported that SK and the Luminosity’s CS:GO roster had signed a deal to play under SK’s banner for the remainder of 2016. But the players allegedly reneged on the promise in the contract, which reportedly would go into effect on July 1.
“SK was pushing us to sign a contract with them when we were not comfortable with the whole situation,” Luminosity captain Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo said about the situation.
Luminosity Gaming CEO Steve Maida labeled it “attempted poaching”, stating that SK Gaming CEO Alex Müller “manipulated my players into thinking LG was the devil.”
SK has not commented publicly on the matter. But ESPN’s report says that the organization’s attorney, Konstantin Edwald, “has threatened the players with litigation” if they choose to not compete for SK by the date the contract goes into effect.
