Complexity exits Counter-Strike after 22 years with “no immediate plans” for return, roster sold to Passion UA

Complexity has announced that it has exited the Counter-Strike scene after 22 years, citing “shrinking revenues” in a tough esports economy, forcing the organization to sell the bulk of its squad to Passion UA. It’s a sad day for CS; Complexity has been a stalwart of the scene since 2004, starting back in CS 1.6. Now, CS2 loses one of its legacy organizations in an increasingly difficult esports economy.

In recent years, Complexity’s best results included a runner-up placing at IEM Sydney 2023, as well as a win at ESL Challenger DreamHack Summer 2024. With its current lineup throughout 2025, Complexity’s wins have been few and far between.

Complexity address possible return after Counter-Strike exit

In a video on X, Complexity CEO Jason Lake addressed the issue head-on, confirming the organization will be leaving the game behind. In the video, Lake said:

“As you can imagine, it’s a tough day for us. We love Counter-Strike very much… After a really strong ’23 and ’24, 2025 in the esports economy has been really challenging for us, and quite simply we have not been able to drive enough revenue to afford to properly support a tier-one team.

“We could have probably dragged things out a bit longer, but we want to make sure we do right by our players and the division, and this was the right thing for us to do at this time.

“We have tried everything and turned over every rock, searched for investment and revenue, but it’s just been an incredibly difficult time economically and with shrinking revenues this year, it kind of forced our hand.” 

Those hoping to see Complexity make a quick return to Counter-Strike in the future probably shouldn’t hold their breath, with Lake saying, “In terms of a return to Counter-Strike, I know a lot of people are going to ask about, we have no immediate plans for that until one of the aforementioned challenges are solved.”

An update from @JasonBWLake pic.twitter.com/C6MQxk44Zr

— Complexity (@Complexity) August 19, 2025

In the meantime, the Complexity quartet of JT, hallzerk, Grim, and nicx have all transferred to Ukrainian outfit Passion UA, which should secure a StarLadder Budapest Major spot for the team with a coveted Americas spot. Joining the four on the lineup is Kvem, who was benched from the team just a few days ago.