We’re less than two weeks into 2024 but Oceanic Counter-Strike has already been dealt a blow with Vertex officially parting ways with its roster ahead of the all-important Copenhagen Major RMR qualifiers. However, Vertex director Jamie “JDU” Uncles stresses this is far from goodbye in CS2 for the Wolfpack.
Suspicions were raised last week after the announcement of the invites for the Oceanic RMR closed qualifier, with Vertex’s name notably absent while a mysterious “Bad News Kangaroos” team name appeared instead. The squad, consisting of Jordan “pz” White, Toby “BRACE” Barnes, Christian “ADDICT” Pendleton, Jared “HaZR” O’Bree, and Matthew “Valiance” Hartrick will compete under the BNK moniker for the interim.
The release of the CS team also follows Vertex’s departure from the LCO after just two splits. However, it’s not the last we’ll see of Vertex in Oceania according to JDU, who is adjusting his strategy and approach to esports as a whole in the region.
“2023 was very successful but it burnt me mentally,” JDU said to Dot Esports, emphasizing the disheveled state the OCE CS scene finds itself in entering the new year. From what appeared to be a healthy and flourishing region bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, the drop in tournament production quantity and quality heavily impacted Vertex’s potential growth.
“Fast forward to March [2023], we played nine officials in four months. The game was basically dying,” JDU said. “Ultimately the decision was down to me and although the year was a huge success and I’m extremely proud of the boys, it just burns you when you don’t know what’s coming up and everything changes so quickly.”
Instead, JDU plans to pivot into community support—and not just in CS either. “There is so much talent in OCE esports across multiple games—CS, Call of Duty, League of Legends—but no one is capitalizing on the fact that no one is running enough events to showcase this talent,” he says. “I want to put more resources into supporting the community holistically rather than supporting just one team. I’ve got the passion and the drive to do that better.”
It’s a bitter end to what has been one of the region’s most competitive squads since forming in 2020. Last year was a year of both highs and lows for Vertex; domestically, the Wolfpack consistently battled for the top spot in Oceania and earned appearances at ESL Challenger Melbourne, IEM Sydney, and the CCT Online Finals in Europe, but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities.
The big break came in the form of qualification to the BLAST Paris Major APAC RMR in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, but a combination of technical issues, illness, and poor scheduling heavily affected both Vertex and the event at large. Ultimately, the Wolfpack exited with a shock loss against Middle Eastern qualifier Twisted Minds.
The former Vertex squad, now Bad News Kangaroos, begins its run for Oceania’s sole spot at the APAC RMR via the Oceanic closed qualifier starting Jan. 19.
