Nitr0 Retires from CS:GO and Considers Competitive Future in VALORANT
Veteran CS:GO in-game leader nitr0 has announced his departure from Team Liquid and his retirement from CS for the second time in his career. Fans have been speculating whether he will continue as a pro player or transition to content creation. During a recent stream on June 22, nitr0 provided some clarity on his competitive future.
Before his last match with Liquid on May 30, nitr0 mentioned that he would start streaming to explore new opportunities, but also expressed openness to competing in other games. It’s worth noting that the 27-year-old had previously made history in VALORANT, the game he played after his first retirement from CS:GO in 2020.
Although nitr0 did not explicitly state his interest in VALORANT before retiring from CS:GO, it was evident to some that he was referring to a potential return to Riot’s FPS. Nearly a month has passed since then, and on June 22, he revealed to his viewers that he would indeed be interested in playing VALORANT again. He also addressed the reason behind his initial ambiguity.
“When I was done with CS, I didn’t want to mention VALORANT because it upsets a lot of people,” nitr0 explained during his live stream. “But, I’m interested. I would like to compete in this game again.”
Nitr0 previously played for 100 Thieves in Riot Games’ FPS from August 2020 to December 2021. Notably, he helped them reach the semifinals of VCT Masters Three Berlin, which was an international event with a prize pool of $700,000.
The reason for nitr0’s retirements in both 2020 and this year from CS:GO was due to the demanding travel schedule. Living in the U.S. with his family, he had to continually travel for European CS:GO tournaments. The situation was further exacerbated with the arrival of his second child.
If nitr0 does make a comeback in VALORANT, he will have the opportunity to spend most of the year in North America participating in VCT Americas or the NA Challengers league. Travel will only be necessary if he qualifies for international tournaments in Riot’s FPS.
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