Official: Evil Geniuses sell BLAST spot
BLAST has announced that Evil Geniuses has transferred their BLAST Premier partnership to Cloud9 as the organization continues to take steps to leave the Counter-Strike space. The Peak6-owned organization was one of the founding members of the initial twelve partner teams in BLAST when ESL and then rival FACEIT were also creating their own leagues. Evil Geniuses would also become an ESL Pro League member as well.
Cloud9's decision to invest now in a BLAST Member Team spot is intriguing as Valve has already decided that such franchise leagues will no longer be allowed to operate past 2024.
In a press release by BLAST, the organizer noted that Cloud9 would become a BLAST Premier Member Team "for the 2024 season". Furthermore, the bidding process for the spot was described as "competitive".
Chris DeAppolonio, CEO for EG, said: "Since its inaugural season, Evil Geniuses has supported and participated in BLAST Premier as part of our commitment to the NA Counter-Strike scene. While we will no longer participate in Premier going forward, we are thankful for the three years we competed and look forward to supporting NA Counter-Strike talent within the league from afar.”
Jack Etienne, Co-Founder and CEO of Cloud9, said: "I am thrilled to announce Cloud9's participation in BLAST Premier. Joining this prestigious league reflects our commitment to excellence and competitiveness on a global stage. We look forward to showcasing the skill and determination of our talented players as we continue our CS2 journey with BLAST Premier.”
Andrew Haworth, Programme Director for BLAST Premier, said: “We are delighted to add Cloud9 to our stable of world-leading esports organisations for the 2024 BLAST Premier season in what is shaping up to be an exciting year with arena events set for London and Copenhagen. Cloud9 has an illustrious history in Counter-Strike and will bring a lot to the tournaments with their addition for the upcoming season. We thank Evil Geniuses for their support and participation over the last three years and wish them all the best in the future. The competitive bidding process undertaken further highlights the growth and development BLAST Premier has enjoyed year-on-on-year.”
Evil Geniuses' Counter-Strike roster for the 2024 remains in doubt as the team is expecting Timothy "autimatic" Ta to depart the organization while Jadan "HexT" Posta has also already left for NRG. With rumors of the team not even practicing and expected to fall apart completely, Evil Geniuses' time in North American Counter-Strike is potentially over.
