Cloud9 signs Vitality's ALEX to massive $1.6 million deal

M Alzamora Published 10/09/2020

Cloud9 has announced the first official signing of its latest rebuild. The massive deal saw them steal ex-Team Vitality in-game leader Alex “ALEX” McMeekin to a massive deal.

The move was officially revealed this morning when ALEX appeared on 1PV’s livestream wearing a Cloud9 jersey to go along with a tweet from the North American org that revealed the exact details of ALEX’s three-year contract. 

This is one of the first times that an organization has publically revealed the details of the player contract, possibly setting a precedent for others to do so in the future.

ALEX’s signing is the start of a brand new Cloud9

ALEX’s contract starts on September 9 and is worth a total of $1.65 million, a massive contract that is reportedly on par with some of the biggest in CSGO today.

The speed at which Cloud9 and its new general manager, Henry “HenryG” Greer, are moving make the official signing seem to indicate that they plan on filling out the remainder of their roster as quickly as possible in an attempt to remain competitive in the ongoing ESL Pro League Season 12.

ALEX left Vitality earlier this year, citing concerns over the amount of traveling the player would have to do over the course of the season. He additionally mentioned that his agreement with Vitality wouldn’t allow him to spend as much time as he wanted to at home. His new place at Cloud9 seems to run contrary to his original decision to leave Vitality, but this offer may have been one he couldn’t refuse.

HenryG was excited to reveal the announcement. He stated that he’s looking forward to being more transparent in C9’s contact details in the future as a way to show prospective players that the team is serious about its rebuilding efforts.

“As controversial and unorthodox a move it may appear, I’m excited to be able to reveal far more specific details to his contract than you’ve ever heard in any past blockbuster deal. I consider this a celebration of our investment into world-class talent and long-term commitment to building a special team with our players and the game that fuels my passion,” HenryG said.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

View full profile

Read Also

Counter-Strike

IEM Rio 2026: Teams, Format, Schedule and Prize Pool Owen Harsono Counter-Strike returns to the passionate grounds of Brazil, with IEM Rio 2026. We’ll get to witness some of the top CS2 teams competing for a prize pool of $1,000,000. Here is everything you need to know about IEM Rio 2026. IEM Rio 2026 will be one of the shorter Tier 1 events of the year, only running for seven days in total. The event will be played in front of ...

Counter-Strike

Best CS2 Streamers in 2026 Owen Harsono Many Counter-Strike 2 fans can agree that watching the game is often better than playing it. Instead of raging at your teammates in-game, it’s more fun to watch other people crash out in your stead. Below, we take a look at the top 5 CS2 streamers in 2026 who will keep you entertained. Dima is a streamer who’s been on the rise over the past couple of years. He’s a ...

Counter-Strike

Full List of IEM Cologne 2026 Major Invited Teams Owen Harsono On April 6, Valve confirmed the VRS ranking updates, which determined the 32 teams that will compete in the upcoming IEM Cologne 2026 Major. The Major spots really came down to the wire, with some teams making their first Major while titans fell. Here is everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major teams. After half a year of VRS ranking progression, Valve locked in the invitations for ...

Twitch

Who is YourRage, the streamer taking Twitch by storm? Fariha Bhatti In 2026, the top of Twitch categories are crowded with IRL and variety streamers, but YourRage has carved out a spot near the top on the back of pure gaming content. Here's everything you need to know about him. YourRage is one of the few creators on Twitch to hit 1 million followers without ever showing his face. The streamer was known purely for his gaming content around Fortnite, Call ...

Counter-Strike

End of an Era: FaZe Clan Miss First CS2 Major in Org’s History Owen Harsono April 5th felt like a fever dream for FaZe Clan fans, as the team failed to qualify for the upcoming IEM Cologne Major in June after a tough, all-or-nothing loss against BIG Clan. After 11 years since entering Counter-Strike, FaZe Clan has missed their first Major tournament. FaZe Clan had been on the chopping block for over a week, as the team didn’t have enough VRS points to punch a ...

Counter-Strike

PGL Bucharest 2026: Teams, Format and Prize Pool Owen Harsono The next Counter-Strike 2 tournament to look forward to is PGL Bucharest 2026. This tournament is an upcoming Tier 1.5 LAN, where we'll get to see several household names competing against new challengers that may pose a threat. Below, we’ll break down everything you need to know about PGL Bucharest 2026. Unfortunately, most of the best CS2 teams in the world have decided to skip this event, but that could ...

Counter-Strike

CS2 players will decide the next map in FACEIT Season 8 Fariha Bhatti FACEIT Season 8 is set to expand the competitive map pool across Counter-Strike 2 queues — and this time players will have a direct say in which map gets added. Currently, FACEIT has all seven maps available during the veto session for players to pick from. Each team bans or picks a map, with the last one serving as the battleground for the game. While players have never complained about ...