G2 CSGO continues shakeup after IEM Rio Major failure
João Ferreira/DexertoG2 Esports have announced further changes to their CS:GO backroom staff following the team’s failure to qualify for the IEM Rio Major.
The winds of change continue to blow at G2 Esports. While the CS:GO scene’s attention is turned to the action in Rio de Janeiro, G2, just 12 months removed from a grand final run at PGL Major Stockholm, must reflect on what has gone wrong and what needs to be done now.
It is difficult to play down the severity of the situation. IEM Rio is the first CS:GO Major that G2 miss since 2015. They are still nowhere near the dominant side many expected them to be when they landed Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov, one of the biggest talents in the CS:GO scene, and questions remain about the direction in which they’re heading after the surprise addition of Rasmus ‘HooXi’ Nielsen (a player criticized for his lack of firepower) as in-game leader.
ESLFor now, G2’s lineup remains unchanged, but there has been a series of staff changes, starting with the departure of head coach Rémy ‘XTQZZZ’ Quoniam. In a live stream, XTQZZZ, who had joined G2 at the beginning of the year, shared his frustration with his tenure and admitted that he was not able to imprint his philosophy on the squad.
On November 1, G2 waved goodbye to longtime team manager Jérôme ‘NiaK’ Sudries, who had been with the organization since 2016. At the same time, they have announced that European Esports Manager Petar ‘peca’ Marković will transition to CS:GO General Manager, a new (and presumably more prominent than just manager) role within the team’s structure.
peca, who joined G2 Esports after leaving FunPlus Phoenix, has a close relationship with Nemanja ‘huNter-’ Kovač. The pair worked together between 2017 and 2019 on several teams, including Valiance and CR4ZY, with peca managing the squad.
G2 will have one more event before the end of the year (potentially two, if they manage to qualify for the BLAST Premier World Final). Next month, they will travel to Copenhagen for the BLAST Premier Fall Final, a tournament that could determine whether the changes will extend beyond the coaching staff for 2023. Analyst Jan ‘Swani’ Müller, who has taken over as interim coach, is expected to attend the event with the team.