Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen has found a surprising new home in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
According to a report by 1pv, the former ENCE in-game leader is set to take on those duties for a new team sponsored by two-time The International Dota 2 champions OG. The star-studded lineup will also include Nathan “NBK” Schmitt, Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen, Valdemar “valde” Bjørn Vangså, and Issa “ISSAA” Murad.
None of the players that are reported to be signing with OG have confirmed or acknowledged the news on social media, nor has the OG organization.
Aleksib, NBK, and ISSAA were benched by ENCE, Team Vitality, and HellRaisers, respectively, following the StarLadder Berlin Major. Valde is currently on the North lineup. Jamppi has not yet played for a top organization, but the young Finn has apparently been impressive enough during his time with SJ Gaming to catch the eye of scouts.
1pv goes on to state that the OG CSGO roster is set up to compete in both the BLAST Pro Series and ESL Pro Tour next year.
OG expanding into CSGO is long overdue after Dota 2 success
OG is a premium brand in Dota 2, but that’s it. Despite being the most successful Dota 2 organization of all time, with four majors and two The International championships to its name, OG has barely stepped outside the confines of Valve’s MOBA.
While this wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise given the number of sponsorless organizations in Dota 2 even at a top level, even similar orgs have branched out over time. European rival Team Secret, which was founded by a number of top Dota 2 players including former Natus Vincere captain Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, fields teams in Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six Siege.
OG is technically a multi-game brand based on the fact that it has sponsored Super Smash Bros. Melee player James “Swedish Delight” Liu for over a year. Despite this, OG has never been rumored to be branching out any further from this.
If OG is indeed preparing to sign a star-studded CSGO roster like this, it would mark a completely new chapter for the organization. Scooping up four players that are currently contracted to high-end teams would require a significant financial investment and if OG is cutting checks that large, one must wonder what other moves they might be making.
