Breaking: SK Gaming disbands its Counter-Strike team
SK Gaming, a renowned name in esports, has announced that it will not renew the contracts of its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team, according to a statement released today.
Less than a year ago, SK recruited an all-Danish lineup, which performed decently in international competitions but failed to secure any tournament victories.
Speculation about the disbanding of the roster has been fueled by the departure of SK’s star player Jacob “Pimp” Winneche, who joined Team Liquid on June 15. This move left SK with an unstable lineup and suggested that the team’s days were numbered.
Rumors also suggest that SK’s decision to disband the roster might be related to a dispute with Luminosity Gaming. ESPN previously reported that SK and Luminosity had signed a deal for Luminosity’s CS:GO roster to play under SK’s banner for the remainder of 2016. However, the players allegedly backed out of this agreement, which was supposed to commence on July 1.
In response to the situation, Luminosity captain Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo stated, “SK was pushing us to sign a contract with them when we were not comfortable with the whole situation.” Luminosity Gaming CEO Steve Maida labeled SK’s actions as “attempted poaching” and accused SK CEO Alex Müller of manipulating his players.
SK has not publicly commented on the matter, but according to ESPN’s report, the organization’s attorney has threatened the players with legal action if they refuse to compete for SK once the contract takes effect.