SK Gaming’s coach steps down so he can play for Immortals

The coach of the world’s top-ranked Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team has left the organization to jump-start his career as a player.

After spending one year with the SK Gaming roster as a coach, Wilton “Zews” de Almeida Prado will now be barking orders from the playing field with Immortals. One of the driving forces behind SK Gaming’s rapid rise to the top of CS:GO, the former coach said that, when the prospect of actually leading and playing for a top team first arose, he jumped on the opportunity.

“The dream to play is always there,” Zews said in a statement. “After getting news that the Immortals players wanted me to lead them, that dream was rekindled instantly.” With SK Gaming, Zews has helped the roster win the two most recent Valve majors, a feat only two other teams in history has succeeded in doing. But despite having forged his own legacy with the world-leading Brazilian roster, Zews said that the Immortals’ offer will provide him with a “new challenge and a chance to live out my dream of playing.”

Zews’s addition comes at the cost of Gustavo “SHOOWTiME” Gonçalves, who took part in the team’s recent victory at DreamHack Summer, where the squad defeated Swedish favorites NiP in the grand final. Immortals CEO Noah Whinston will also be looking to facilitate any offers made to SHOOWTiME from interested organizations.