Gaimin Gladiators Expand Into CS2 With Former ECSTATIC Roster

The Gaimin Gladiators esports organization, mostly known for their Dota 2 division, has explored a new venture by signing ECSTATIC’s Danish lineup. It was revealed that the move was done through a buyout, instead of contracts ending. 

CS RETURNS TO THE COLOSSEUM!

A long time coming, the gates open up to welcome back an esport that carries a weight like no other.

The Danish #CS2GLADIATORS have arrived to engrave their names in history and seek glory inside the ARENA.

🇩🇰 @kraghenCS
🇩🇰 @QueenixCS
🇩🇰… pic.twitter.com/G03Qqs5riZ

— GG | Gaimin Gladiators ⚔️ (@GaiminGladiator) April 14, 2024

Signing A Major-Participating Roster

Before the Copenhagen Major, the ECSTATIC bunch mostly played in online Tier 3 tournaments for thousands of dollars. Even though they weren’t playing against the best teams in the world, the team barely won any titles and could only manage several deep runs. 

However, things started to look bright, as the young prospects could qualify for the PGL Copenhagen Major RMR. The team barely made it past the Major qualifier, finishing 3-2 in the RMR to make it to the Opening Stage. 

It was already a massive achievement for the players to even reach the Major, but the team continued to exceed expectations. In the Opening Stage, ECSTATIC defeated TheMongolZ, Lynn Vision, and Imperial to secure a spot in the Legends Stage. 

Unfortunately, the road ended there for ECSTATIC, as they were eliminated by G2 Esports, who went on to place fourth in the tournament. Still, in a Major located in home soil, ECSTATIC was the Danish roster that made the furthest run, outlasting the likes of Astralis. 

The Gaimin Gladiators CS2 roster:

• Tobias “kraghen” Kragh Jensen
• Jonas “Queenix” Dideriksen
• Jason “salazar” Salazar
• Magnus “Nodios” Olsen
• Patrick “Patti” Larsen (IGL)
• Peter “casle” Ardenskjold (Coach)

Gaimin Gladiators As An Organization

The Gaimin Gladiators, also known as GG, is a Canadian organization that currently operates one of the most successful Dota 2 rosters in history. In 2023, the MOBA division won three consecutive Major tournaments, which is the first time since OG’s reign in 2016 to 2017.

The organization earned nearly $4,000,000 from the Dota 2 team alone, and an additional $420,000 from their PUBG Mobile and Rocket League squads. 

This isn’t the first time the Gaimin Gladiators franchise is getting their feet wet in Counter-Strike, as they have previously tried running a North American roster, featuring nosraC, Jeorge, and cynic, who ended up as players for Nouns Esports.

Unfortunately, that iteration of the Gladiators did not pay off well, and the organization pulled out of Counter-Strike in August 2022. 

Is This A Good Move For Everyone Involved?

There are three main stakeholders involved in this situation, so let’s go over how it affected each party:

How Does It Affect The ECSTATIC Organization?

The ECSTATIC business is partly owned by Counter-Strike content creator and skin trader zipeL. According to zipeL himself, the roster was bought out despite the players still having contracts in the organization.

This means ECSTATIC received a hefty sum of money from the transaction. However, they also made more from their successful qualification for the Copenhagen Major, as the organization will receive a share of the tournament’s sticker revenue, which is rumored to be at least $1,000,000. Overall, zipeL and the ECSTATIC shareholders can be relatively happy with the deal. 

Zipel gigabrain businessman, got the sticker money, got the boys signature money and then just dipped

maxwin for real

— ItzPring (@ItzPring) April 14, 2024

People in the community are speculating that ECSTATIC could field the former Preasy Esports lineup that was dropped a few weeks ago due to a lack of funding. Ex-Preasy Esports coach revealed the team is looking to stick together, and have no buyouts, so ECSTATIC could grab the entire team at no cost. 

How Does It Affect The Gaimin Gladiators Organization?

Though they had to pay larger amounts to bypass the players’ contracts, this decision makes total sense for the Gaimin Gladiators in a business standpoint.

Now, the Gaimin Gladiators have direct access to the next Major’s RMR, because the ECSTATIC roster’s core made it to the Legends Stage in Copenhagen. This means the team will not have to go through hell that is the Open Qualifiers for the RMR, which is filled with hackers and Best-of-1 matches. 

How Does It Affect The Gaimin Gladiators Players?

The players shouldn’t mind playing under a different banner. They have already secured revenue from their stickers in the game, and are now playing under a larger organization.

The new roster can expect better facilities, such as better and more frequent bootcamps, and access to supporting staff such as psychologists.

Header: Gaimin Gladiators