American esports organization Cloud9 announced that it is returning to CS:GO. She drew a contrast with the Gambit roster, which recently performed under the name Players due to sanctions restrictions. It is reported that the team built around Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkova began looking for opportunities for such a deal back in March. This decision was made due to the fact that she lost the opportunity to compete in ESL and PGL tournaments under her own name. As a result, Gambit had to play at ESL Pro League Season 15 and at the European RMR tournament under a neutral name.
Cloud9 announced the acquisition of the roster just two days after Players, currently ranked third in the world, secured a spot in the Legends stage of the Major with victories over Sangal, Anonymo and Astralis. Thus, the American organization returns to CS: GO for the first time after putting its players up for transfer in March last year and announcing a temporary suspension of performances in this discipline. Then Cloud9 explained its decision by difficulties associated with the pandemic.
The press release regarding the Gambit acquisition mentions that Cloud9 will help players currently in Russia with relocation, but it remains unclear whether this means the team will be based in the United States.
