Finnish esports organisation ENCE has officially announced that its Board of Directors has filed for bankruptcy, bringing an end to one of Nordic esports’ most iconic brands after 13 years of operations.
The shuttering marks a financial collapse for the Helsinki-based company, which thanked fans, players, staff, and commercial partners in a brief farewell statement.
The liquidation marks the end of a tumultuous year for the organisation. Four months prior, long-time CEO Mika Kuusisto stepped down after seven years at the helm, revealing that ENCE was in the midst of a major financial restructuring. In an effort to cut costs, the club shifted its focus back to its home market in Finland and abolished the CEO role entirely, distributing leadership responsibilities among existing staff.
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Still, the insolvency filing comes abruptly given the club’s recent operational updates. Just a month earlier, on 25 September 2026, ENCE announced that it had locked in its Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) roster on long-term contracts following an evaluation period. The organisation had committed to a young core emphasising long-term stability and gradual ranking progression.
In mid-October, the club was actively activating fan merchandise booths and competing at the LanTrek 2026 festival during the Elisa BreakOut Series 2 tournament. The sudden transition from long-term project building to complete corporate liquidation underscores the financial pressures facing legacy European esports entities: ENCE’s bankruptcy comes just one year after Swedish organisation Godsent, founded in 2016, also filed for liquidation.
Founded in 2013, ENCE grew from a regional Finnish gaming organisation into a global competitive force in Counter-Strike. The club’s peak historic moment came during the 2019 Katowice Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major, where an all-Finnish lineup led by Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen achieved a run to the Grand Final.
Following subsequent roster rebuilds, ENCE transitioned to an international roster structure, capturing the IEM Dallas 2023 trophy and maintaining a tier-one ranking throughout 2022 and 2023.
ENCE is not the only legacy organisation to go under in October. Just one week earlier, Evil Geniuses announced the total shutdown of its competitive and day-to-day operations after being left out of the VALORANT Champions Tour partnership programme, bringing an end to its 25-year history.
