Wolffe retires: "I can’t go another season without an org"

In an announcement on Wednesday morning, Kyle "Wolffe" Greenfield announced that he has stepped down from ex-Snakes Den and will be leaving Counter-Strike all together. The player explained that he was unable to continue playing as a free agent with no salary.

Following Wolffe's return from VALORANT in April 2022, the 21-year-old has played for Detonate, Take Flyte, and Snakes Den, but most recently has been orgless after this team left Snakes Den.

It's no secret that North America has seen a lot of investment within the scene dry up in recent years, especially so at the local level. For amateur and semi-professional players like Wolffe, it's hard to balance the expectations of school, a career, and professional gaming without the financial incentive to keep going.

Throughout Wolffe's all-time career, he managed impressive results with his teams which most recently included earning promotion to ESL Challenger League S45 after winning ECL Relegation S44. All time, Wolffe managed a 1.09 HLTV Rating, a 71.3% KAST, and a 1.05 Impact.

Regarding his retirement, Wolffe told Dust2.us:

I’ve been playing CS since early 2016. I’ve always wanted to go pro and play with the best, but currently, there’s just not enough money in the scene. NA Pro League was removed and it took with it money, viewership, and a goal for players above ECL. I’m currently divided on my decision to step away from CS. I don’t want to quit, I still love this game. I know I have the talent, skills, and social presence to make it happen.

I want to go pro, I want to play with the best, and I want to help out the NA scene with content and grow. However, since every season is ~3 months and no organizations are interested in us - There are offers, but nothing involving a salary of any kind - that leaves tourney and FPL winnings to keep food on the table and pay my bills. FPL has decent pay, but it’s so competitive that the money is too inconsistent and unreliable. While almost every tournament winnings are going to salaried Brazilian teams or already salaried NA teams. I can’t prioritize practice and improving as much as I want to if next month's rent is due or I’m eating small, cheap meals.

I’m not asking for much. ex-Snakes Den is ranked #69 in the world, and we show great potential, but I personally can’t go 3 more months to see our potential without some kind of financial support. If I was able to get at minimum $650 a month from any org, I’d be able to commit part-time to CS again, but no org that I’ve talked to has come even REMOTELY close. So with FPL pay being inconsistent, no real org offers, and only promising tourney runs. I’ve run out of options. I love this scene and the community, I want to dedicate my life to this game, but I can’t keep sacrificing my time, friendships, family, and future without outside help.

With ex-Snakes Den losing one of their stars, they are now:

• Dylan "DJF" Ferreria

• McKinley "Cyrix" Holison

• Sebastian "Seb" Dietrich

• Mason "Lake" Sanderson