Gaimin Gladiators has returned to Counter-Strike after a two-year hiatus, with the North American esports organization looking across the Atlantic to secure the services of the former ECSTATIC squad that made waves at the PGL Copenhagen Major last month.
The organization announced the acquisition of the ECSTATIC team via X (formerly Twitter) on April 14. It marks a return to the esport for the Gladiators after briefly hosting an American roster in the 2022 competitive season which was led by the late David “cynic” Polster and coached by former Cloud9 player Kory “SEMPHIS” Friesen.
“My time in ECSTATIC has been some of my best ever and I will forever be grateful for experiencing all the things we have achieved together,” Magnus “Nodios” Olsen said after the announcement went live. The rest of the now-Gaimin Gladiators roster, including Queenix, Jason Salazar, Patti, and kraghen shared this sentiment and were happy they were proceeding with the same five players at their new home.
The roster first made ground at ESL Challenger Melbourne in 2023—their first offline CS2 tournament together—before spending the next year grinding their way through online European CS2 events. Their hard work paid off: ECSTATIC qualified for the PGL Copenhagen Major and exceeded expectations, surviving the Opening Stage and taking a win off Brazilian heavyweights FURIA in the Elimination Stage.
Gaimin Gladiators have been a mighty force in fellow Valve title Dota 2 where their international roster dominated the MOBA’s competitive season in 2023, landing three Major title wins and over $3 million in winnings last year alone, according to Esports Earnings. Gaimin also hosts players in other titles such as Rocket League, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and the FGC.
The squad hasn’t secured a LAN appearance under the Gaimin banner yet but is still in the hunt at the Thunderpick World Cup and Elisa Invitational Spring qualifiers.
