Cloud9 has announced their return to CS:GO with the acquisition of Players, who formerly competed under the Gambit banner.
The North American-based organisation has completed the signing of Vladislav "nafany" Gorshkov and co.
The team has reportedly been up for sale since March. Under Gambit, the nafany-led roster were a prolific force in 2021, winning IEM Katowice, IEM Summer, BLAST Premier Spring Final and IEM Fall CIS in a breakout year for the Russian squad.
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A return to form
In 2022, they suffered an early exit from ESL Pro League Season 15 under the Players banner, but swiftly returned to form by qualifying for the PGL Major Antwerp in unbeaten fashion through the European RMR.
Cloud9's return to CS:GO is of little surprise, given the rich history the organisation has within the sport. Their biggest day came when winning the 2018 ELEAGUE Boston Major, but recent ventures have been less than successful.
They have been absent from the scene since March 2021, where a roster headed by Henry “HenryG” Greer was unable to scale the expected heights. In a press release, the North American-organisation has stated they will help the roster to relocate, though no details on location have been confirmed.
The PGL Major Antwerp will be the first tournament for the roster under their new banner, where they will be hoping to turn around their modest LAN record. All their 2021 successes came in online tournaments and after an early exit from the offline ESL Pro League Season 15, doubts still linger about their constitution on stage.
