UK esports organisation Endpoint have today put their Counter-Strike esports team on hold as they refocus on creators and hosting tournaments.
Endpoint cited the Valve Regional Standings system (where their CS team are currently ranked 86th), a lack of funding and ongoing costs as reasons for the decision.
However, Endpoint did tell Esports News UK they will hopefully be helping other esports teams that need support for major events, if the right opportunities arise, and that they will be putting more resources and money into their UKIC Faceit club/UKIC ecosystem, and more resources into finding partnerships.
They are also open to signing a new team in the future, when the time is right.
Endpoint’s current CS players – the UK core of MiGHTYMAX, Surreal and AZUWU, along with Dutch player CRUC1AL and Polish player cej0t – are now available for other teams to acquire with no buyout. The org have also bid farewell to their Irish manager and interim coach Neil Murphy.
Endpoint have had a host of CS talent over the years, including mezii and flameZ, who are now at Vitality, as well as the likes of NertZ, HeavyGod, Thomas, Kjaerbye, BOROS and more.
The news comes after Endpoint’s CS team won Intel Monsters Reloaded last year, but didn’t have a big impact in tournaments including ESEA Advanced, CCT and the European Pro League.
It also comes a few weeks after the organisation partnered with TikTok to launch new creator network Endpoint Live, and announced a Rocket League creator team.
During an interview, Esports News UK asked Endpoint if they would put together a CS content creator team. They said it would need to be a team of UK creators, and that there is a lack of UK CS content creators.
Endpoint also told us they were in conversations with their CS team about the future.
“We’re not naive or ignorant to the fact that it hasn’t been the year that we wanted to have in Counter-Strike. We’re far from the level that we’ve been at previously, so for us it’s been about figuring that out,” said Endpoint CEO Adam ‘Adz’ Jessop.
Endpoint’s statement on their Counter-Strike division in full
Endpoint said in a statement from COO Peter Thompson and CEO Adam Jessop on social media just now: “With a heavy heart we are placing our Counter-Strike division on pause. Our Counter-Strike team has been moved to the bench with immediate effect and are available with no buyout.
“There is no denying that the current iteration of our Counter-Strike department has not been performing as we or the players expect. Alongside this, the landscape of Counter-Strike has changed dramatically.
“So whilst we still retain the goal of making the major, with our recent form and the changes to the invitation process, that goal is now probably the furthest away that it has ever been.
“The VRS (Valve Regional Standings) system means that when starting from a low ranking, the struggle to improve that ranking is compounded by the fact that any VRS eligible events are invite only, based on the very VRS rank you are trying to improve. This in turn creates a much smaller and internal ecosystem.
“Combining [the VRS system] with a lack of funding and brands willing to get involved in the UK esports scene, ultimately means that the costs incurred compared to revenue (or potential of) just becomes too great a risk to the wider company.”
Endpoint
“We know that sometimes teams just don’t work and it’s no reflection on the players as individuals or the effort they have put into the project.
“We are proud of our track record with this team over the past five years. We have competed at RMRs and two seasons of ESL Pro League, caused many upsets and developed some of the biggest names in Counter-Strike right now, NertZ, HeavyGod, flameZ and mezii (to name only a few) would not be where they are today without the input of MiGHTYMAX, Surreal, CRUC1AL and the coaching staff of Endpoint.
“We are sure that those core players, and the young stars in cej0t and AZUWU have a bright future ahead of them. We thank them greatly for their service and will be working with them to find a new home.
“We are not closing the door on Counter-Strike esports entirely. Firstly we will continue to support UKIC and by extension domestic grassroots esports, and we hold strong ambitions to continue to improve this support and therefore the wider UK Counter-Strike scene.
“Secondly we will be open to signing a new team in the future – this is a pause, not a goodbye. This means we are open to sign or build rosters when the time and opportunity is right and we will continue to look to build partnerships that enable us to continue our journey, building on the history, reputation, success and foundations we already have in place.
“Esports is key to Endpoint’s roots and a key part of our future. That will never change.”
Endpoint COO Peter Thompson added: “I am a little bit lost for words with this one, and it almost feels like we are giving up on an eight-year dream. After a very long review of the project, trying to work out the changes we would need to make in the CS division to make it successful (making a major), and working out all of the possible financial scenarios, we have unfortunately come to the realisation that we cant make it sustainable at this point in time.
“I very much hope that we are back in CS competitively in 2025, but we need to find the additional support to do that. A huge thank you to everyone on the team, they are all amazing talents and let alone all the talent we have had over the last 8 years, hopefully there will still be many more in the future. This isn’t the end of esports at Endpoint, we will be looking at ways we can help teams, do short term activations with some that need support to go to major events but our main focus will be the rapid growth of Endpoint Live for now, which has seen an amazing start over the last couple of weeks.
“With this we will be realigning some budgets to reinvest elsewhere, including the UKIC and staff that the company needs to grow outside of Endpoint Groups pro side.”
CEO Adam Jessop added: “This one hurts. We worked extremely hard to avoid this, but the landscape in the UK esports is different these days in regards to funding and brands etc. The changes to the VRS system just compound that. No fault of the players and I hope they find new homes.”
Endpoint’s longest-standing player MiGHTYMAXcsgo on the CS division going on pause
“The longest chapter in my career has come to a close,” MiGHTYMAX wrote on Twitter.
“Adam Jessop offered me my first professional contract in 2016 and trusted in my ability to create a competitive UK team. We went on to win many domestic tournaments and solidify ourselves at the top of the UK scene.
“In 2020 a new era of Endpoint was born. We chased our dreams of breaking into the top 30 and were known for leading the way in identifying new prospective talents to help us on that journey. We were finally able to qualify and compete in ESL Pro Leagues and RMR events, which was a great taste of what could be in the future.
“It became difficult to maintain such a rising trajectory after player departures and in recent times we have been unable to live up to the same expectation and deliver the level of performance required to be competitive in the new VRS ecosystem. I will be eternally grateful to Adam Jessop and Peter Thompson for the opportunity to chase my dreams, represent Endpoint and help build it into the organisation it is today. With all that being said, I am looking for new opportunities. You can contact me directly on X.”
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Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
