Popular esports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas has jumped into Fortnite: Battle Royale esports, signing four players to make its first roster in the game.
Dean “Cringe” Lawrence, Max “Goofy” Rosenlind, Patrik “Xited” Heiberg, and Anastasios “Yung” Timpanidis are the newest ninjas, and they will certainly face high expectations from fans.
The roster is multinational, with the players hailing from Denmark, Belgium, and NiP’s homeland, Sweden. Unlike some other rosters, this lineup also features two separate duos instead of a full four-person team. Cringe and Yung competed in events together previously, as did Goofy and Xited.
NiP has a long list of achievements in other games, most notably Counter-Strike. In 2012 and 2013, NiP was undoubtedly the best team in the world while on a 87-map win streak. While the team has fallen on relatively hard times in recent years with a recent Major drought, fans and critics alike still expect to see the absolute best from the Swedish powerhouse—and that will likely extend into Fortnite.
“We have been on the sideline observing the phenomenon of Fortnite, eager to enter the scene,” NiP CEO Hicham Chahine said in a press release. “As it is still early days, we have been doing some work in understanding the scene and how to get involved the best way possible. The signing of four talented European players and helping them grow, is our first step in what is hopefully going to be a fun endeavor!”
Related: Battle royale genre is predicted to generate more than $20 billion in revenue next year
Like many other teams, NiP noticed the explosion of battle royale games in 2017, prompting it to sign a PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team in October. While the team hasn’t found the kind of success the organization likely expected with no championships to show, NiP is obviously not hestitant of entering other battle royale games.
With the Fortnite roster signing, NiP will join longtime European CS:GO rivals Fnatic and Virtus Pro, who have also signed players recently.
