The Cloud9 CS:GO Colossus project is coming to an end, according to reports from both 1pv and RushBMedia. The report from neL and 1pv says that Cloud9’s most recent performance at ESL Pro League Season 13 was the final straw. The team went 2-3 in Group C play and finished fifth, outside of playoffs.
The era of the Colossus is over. It didn't last long. Image via Cloud9.
According to Ryan Friend with RushBMedia, Cloud9 CEO Jack Etienne has confirmed the report’s validity. According to him, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused “undue stress and difficulties in providing boot camps, housing, and the mental health of the players.” These sources of stress, the financial costs during the pandemic, and the team’s performances have culminated in this reported move from the organization.
Just a few hours after the reports surfaced, Cloud9 officially confirmed the rumors on Twitter. They refer to the move as a “pause” in their CS:GO involvement, and directly noted the challenges of COVID as the primary reasons for the step back.
The Cloud9 Colossus began its construction in September. The team brought in caster Henry Greer as general manager and coach Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunović. The two were tasked with building an entirely new roster from the ground up. They broke the CS:GO norm by announcing the details of contracts when signing players. The initial lineup brought in was Alex “ALEX” McMeekin (IGL), William “mezii” Perriman, Ricky “Floppy” Kemery, Özgür “woxic” Eker, and Patrick “Es3tag” Hansen.
Only a couple of months after they constructed the roster, both coach kassad and woxic departed the project. To fill in, Cloud 9 brought in rising NA star Erick “Xeppaa” Bach and former Gen.G coach Chris “Elmapuddy” Tebbit. In Colossus’ short tenure, it struggled to produce the quality of results that matched the expectations HenryG set for it. Its best result came at the BLAST Fall 2020 Showdown, where it defeated NiP and Complexity. It was one series win against mousesports away from qualifying to the Fall Finals.
Cloud9 is not completely shutting the door in competing in Counter-Strike, however. In his remarks to RushBMedia, C9 Jack “was very clear that Cloud9 would not be leaving CS:GO permanently.” According to him, the Euro-centricness of Counter-Strike is just not viable at this time. Jack said he will “examine the North American CSGO scene for its next venture.”
Cloud9 is moving all players and coaching staff to the bench and being made available for transfer.
