NRG CEO on CS2 team: "We're gonna be NA"
North American Counter-Strike fans can now officially celebrate the return of NRG after CEO Andy Miller revealed that the organization would be searching for a North American-based squad. In response to a question on a League of Legends podcast The Crossover, Miller said that the organization would be North American since the company is based in North America, they have NA players, and "have always made an effort to have an NA brand".
NRG wants to specifically enter the North American scene not only due to their own brand recognition, but also because they want to "sell to North American brands". The goal for the squad is to "make the Major as soon as possible", which hints at the possibility of having a squad by the end of 2023. The first open qualifiers for the 2024 PGL Copenhagen Major are on January 8th, which leaves just a bit of time for NRG to solidify their roster should they want to dive headfirst into the action.
NRG had previously confirmed the news to HLTV that they already have "a core in mind", however "no contracts have been signed yet". NRG entered North American Counter-Strike in 2016 when they signed the former Method squad. That squad featured Fatih "gob b" Dayik, Nikola "LEGIJA" Ninić, Samuel "SileNt" Portillo, Justin "Just9n" Ortiz, and Peter "ptr" Gurney.
Throughout the years, the squad would undergo several changes, but truly peaked in late 2018 through 2019 by bringing in players like Ethan "Ethan" Arnold, Tarik "tarik" Celik, and Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz. Under coaches Damian "daps" Steele and Chet "ImAPet" Singh, the squad would become one of the best in the world, culminating in a move to Evil Geniuses.
With the end of franchising, the ecosystem is open for organizations from all financial backgrounds to compete on a more level playing field, each playing for opportunities on the biggest stages in the world.
