Xms cites “French Counter-Strike” as a reason for his retirement from CS:GO

Alexandre “xms” Forte is officially leaving the world of professional Counter-Strike.

After three years of competing, xms announced today that he’s retiring from CS:GO. In a Twitlonger posted entirely in French, xms said that he’s happy overall with what he’s accomplished over the years and that he takes much “pride” in having his own in-game stickers from the ELEAGUE Boston Major in January.

Xms said that he will continue to stream and play the game, but the biggest factor in his retirement decision is a problem with French Counter-Strike. “The hunger for money is greater than the desire to be the best,” he said.

It’s unclear which teams he’s talking about, but this could be a shot at the top French teams in Counter-Strike, like G2 Esports and the reported roster involving Vincent “Happy” Cervoni, Nathan “NBK” Schmitt, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, Cedric “RpK” Guipouy, and top prospect Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut.

In his years of competing, xms was a staple of many top French lineups, including some under organizations such as Millenium, Team LDLC, and Team Envy. He stayed with Envy the longest out of any team during his career and accomplished the most with the “Boys in Blue,” such as a championship at DreamHack Atlanta 2017 and many top placements in international events. Towards the end of his career, xms was left without a team because Envy released its roster, in a pivot towards the North American region.

Although it’s the end of xms’ run in Counter-Strike, he alluded to the future towards the end of his Twitter post. “This is just a small goodbye,” he said. “I’m young. I want to win and be the best, so into another game!”