Finnish esports organisation ENCE has decided to refocus on its home country, Finland. The goal of this pivot is to rebuild its Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) program with Finnish talent at the core and develop the next generation of players as the team prepares to rebuild its project around new Finnish players.
ENCE said it has spent the past several years investing heavily in international rosters to compete at the highest level of Counter-Strike 2. However, the organisation stated that the current esports ecosystem has made it increasingly difficult for organisations like ENCE to maintain such projects.
As a result of this shift back to its home roots, the team has decided to reset its Counter-Strike program and start a new long-term project. As part of the transition toward this Finnish-centric model, the entire main CS2 roster and coaching staff have been moved to the bench and are now available for transfer discussions.
The decision comes after ENCE’s thorough strategic review carried out together with company leadership and majority shareholders.
Mika Kuusisto, CEO of ENCE Esports, said on LinkedIn, “Last weeks have been nothing short of intense. Bold decisions take time, but tend to be decisions that once done, it seems they were the most obvious decisions to be taken. We should proudly celebrate our achievements over the past years which were made possible by an amazing group of international talent. However, the true growth comes from learning from our mistakes. It’s time to return to our roots, and pour our heart and soul into making Finnish Counter-Strike great again.”
Despite the new focus on Finnish players, Finnish player Paavo “podi“ Heiskanen has also been benched. According to ENCE, the player prefers to continue pursuing Tier-1 Counter-Strike opportunities instead of joining a project focused on developing upcoming Finnish talent.
ENCE confirmed that its development teams will continue operating normally during the transition. The ENCE Academy team will continue its activities as usual. Meanwhile, the ENCE Prospects roster will participate in the upcoming NUKE-Liiga Season 2, which begins on March 18. However, the move will also affect some company staff positions as the organisation adjusts its structure.
ENCE benching their team shows how challenging it is to operate in esports. Prize winnings usually don’t cover much of the expenses, so teams end up relying heavily on sponsors to stay afloat. Just look at WYLDE, the Tier 1 Rainbow Six team that shut down about a month ago because they couldn’t sustain the costs anymore. The founder of CYBERSHOKE Esports also mentioned they spent nearly $1 million in the last two and a half years, while only earning back a small share of that through prize money.
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