Cloud9 is leaving CSGO with the promise they will return.

Cloud9, North America’s only Major winning team has dropped out of CSGO, listing it’s entire squad on the transfer market. Promising to return when conditions are favourable.

Conditions around Covid and lack of results has struck another major North American CSGO team.

Clou9 will pause its CSGO operations and bench its roster, according to RushBMedia. This announcement comes only 6 months after hyping their new roster.

Unfortunately a run of poor results and missing out on qualification for major events such as IEM Katowice

Cluod9 is taking a break from CSGO although the CEO says they will return to the game under favorable conditions. The colossus is no more.

North American esports organization, Cloud9 will pause its CS:GO operation and bench its roster, according to a report by RushBMedia. This move comes after just six months of announcing a new roster amidst much hype. But a string of poor results and failure to qualify for major events pushed the organization to take a break from Counter-Strike.

The big name brand did not live up to expectations, failing to qualify for IEM Katowice and losing to low ranked teams in tier 2 tournaments. The team finished 11-12th in FLASHPOINT Season two, despite facing competition from much lower-tier opponents.

The global pandemic is one of the major reasons cited by Cloud9 as their reason for poor results and financial strain. They have let go of their coach already and players are available for transfer imediately.

Cloud9 CEO, Jack Etienne told Ryan from RushBMedia that the organization’s planned to base the team in Los Angeles. However, with COVID running longer than expected in Europe, it became increasingly difficult to organizing training facilities and bootcamps for the players. 

The situation was especially dire for the team’s captain, ALEX due to governmental regulations. France’s laws prevented ALEX from returning to the country should he leave for the United States, according to RushBMedia. Henry “HenryG” Greer will continue to be a part of the C9 organization.

“COVID has prevented us from assembling the team in North America as we had originally planned. Though everyone has worked hard to rise to the challenge, the reality is that remote training isn’t conducive for building an organization in the way Cloud9 usually does.”

Cloud9 in a statement

This is not the end of the road for Cloud9 in CS:GO. The organization plans to return to Counter-Strike once travel restrictions are eased after the pandemic. 

“We will return to NA CS:GO when conditions are favorable,”

Jack Etienne to The EsportsObserv

Benched Cloud9 CS:GO roster:

• Alex “⁠ALEX⁠” McMeekin.
• Patrick “⁠es3tag⁠” Hansen.
• William “⁠mezii⁠” Merriman.
• Ricky “⁠floppy⁠” Kemery.
• Erick “⁠Xeppaa⁠” Bach.