Hiko joined 100 Thieves because their goals are aligned—to build a winning team

Hiko fans were excited to hear that the CS:GO veteran signed with 100 Thieves last week as its first pro VALORANT player. And today, they found out why he made that choice.

The 100 Thieves captain discussed the signing with ESPN Esports today, calling it “almost a no-brainer.” Hiko explained that he “had his pick” of potential teams but ultimately made his decision because his goals were aligned with 100 Thieves—to “build a winning team.”

“Some organizations told me that they want to build, you know, more of a popular team instead of a winning team,” Hiko said. “They want the streamers, they want the big personalities, they want the big brands. And, like, that’s cool but I think my career and everything has been focused on winning and… focused on building the best team that I can.”

The VALORANT pro said building a team won’t focus only on Counter Strike players. Hiko admitted that CS players were “leaps and bounds” ahead of pros from other games, like Apex Legends or Fortnite. But after playing through the closed beta, Hiko explained that non-CS pro have caught up “alarmingly fast.”

While it’s unclear who 100 Thieves is looking to pick up to complete its roster, Hiko mentioned that he was impressed with former Overwatch pro Corey.

“The first time I played against Corey, that dude owned me,” Hiko said. “I thought he was cheating.”

Fans eager to watch more high-level gameplay can tune into Hiko’s Twitch channel.