- 100 Thieves pulls out of CS:GO once again.
- The North American organisation is pulling out of the scene just 12 months after signing the Australian roster from Renegades.
- Their star player Justin “jks” Savage being transferred to Complexity.
North American-based 100 Thieves will exit Counter-Strike: Global Offensive play, CEO and owner Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag confirmed Monday.
The team currently is competing in Intel Extreme Masters XV New York Online: North America play and stands 3-1 and in a three-way tie for first place in its group. Nadeshot said this will be the team's last tournament.
In a video posted to the organization's Twitter account, Nadeshot said complications surrounding COVID-19, the European focus of CS:GO and travel problems for players provided hurdles too great to leap. The team is headquartered in Los Angeles. Nadeshot said he had full confidence in his players but that it didn't make sense to continue. He said he is working with other organizations to find new teams for the players amid reports that one rifler Justin "jks" Savage is headed to Complexity Gaming.
100 Thieves entered CS:GO in 2017 when it signed the roster of the Brazilian team Immortals, but the team quickly disbanded amid immigration and other issues. Just a year ago, 100 Thieves acquired the roster of Renegades of Australia.
That team got off to a strong start, finishing in second place last November in Intel Extreme Masters XIV - Beijing and reaching No. 5 in the world rankings. But in 2020, the team hasn't replicated the results, falling outside the top 10, with its best results a third-place finish at DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: North America in June and a second-place last month at ESL Pro League Season 12: North America. 100 Thieves also lost their coach, Chet "Chet" Singh, who left CS:GO to build a Valorant team for NRG Esports. No replacement was hired.
It is still unclear what will happen with 100 Thieves' spots in ESL Pro League and BLAST Premier, two tournaments with which the organisation is partnered, and with the team, who are currently competing in IEM New York, in the aftermath of jks' exit. According to a recent report from DBLTAP, Joakim "jkaem" Myrbostad "has received a number of offers" but no transfer has been agreed.