Singularity announced their departure from North American Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) today, disbanding their roster. Their decision comes as a result of the changes made to EPL’s format according to their official statement. Atle S. Stehouwer, CEO and founder of Team Singularity, commented:
I’m sad that we have to part ways due to this unfortunate situation, but just as we were about to make some bigger changes in the roster, and build what we believed would have been a stable roster that we could have achieved a top 30 ranking etc., ESL decided to make their move and give us a three day window transitioning from EPL to MDL and without disclosing more information about their path to pro circuit outside of MDL.
EPL’s reformatting meant 24 professional teams relegated to their respective MDL regions, and Singularity wasn’t invited by ESL to season 11. The Singularity lineup included Skyler “Relyks” Weaver, Michael “dapr” Gulino, Sebastian “seb” Bucki, Hunger “SicK” Mims (stand-in), Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan (stand-in), Kaleb “moose” Jayne, and Ian “Immi” Harding (coach).
We would like to announce that we are ceasing our operations in the North American CS:GO division! We would like to wish our players all the best in their careers!
Read: https://t.co/K5GHcVlCMt#SNGARMY pic.twitter.com/Moz794PbYy
— Team Singularity (@SNG_Esports) January 29, 2020
EPL’s reformat ripples across CSGO
Controversy has surrounded ESL since they officially announced their plans for the future of EPL. The shared details were vague and came as a surprise. Community members, including players, casters, and organizations, spoke out in protest of how ESL handled the situation, leaving teams like Singularity with little to no direction.
Despite an apology from their vice president, Ulrich Schulze, it doesn’t seem as if the community is satisfied with their actions. Singularity being forced to leave CSGO comes as a disappointment to the organization and team, yet it is an example of the types of repercussions to follow.
According to a report by HLTV.org, Stehouwer shared the organization was in negotiations with former Complexity players. Their plans were to construct a stable roster for season 11 of EPL. Furthermore, they had hoped to build a gaming house and an office in North America to support their players. ESL rescinding their spot in EPL hindered their ability to complete negotiations.
“I love my team, and I don’t want to limit their development or chances, so this is a mutual decision in the team,” said Stehouwer. “Team Singularity’s journey in the NA scene has been a rollercoaster ride that started almost 1.5 years ago and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”
All good things must come to an end
It’s unclear at the moment when or if Singularity will ever return to NA CSGO. In regards to a future in the scene, Stehouwer says, “I hope we will be able to return when the CSGO landscape is more transparent.” Schulze stated that ESL understands relegated teams weren’t given enough information as to how they might earn a spot in EPL again. However, he did say that more details would be released soon. Singularity has now become a victim of their miscommunication, but who’s to say we’ve seen the last of the Danish organization?
