Cloud9 CEO: "I think the team will be ready to move to the US"

Jack Etienne, co-founder and CEO of the North American esports organization Cloud9, shared his thoughts on signing the former Gambit Esports roster in an interview with HLTV. During the conversation, the American also talked about the future of the team, which, in his opinion, can move to the United States if there are comfortable conditions for professional growth.

I never wanted to leave. I was always looking for an opportunity, and with the way things were going in North America, I didn't really know when the opportunity would come. I actually started to think that maybe I'll just dive into the development process and try to do it, but the system in North America isn't in the best shape right now and so I didn't have a clear timetable for when that would happen.

This opportunity was given to me by ULTI Agency and I was very interested, but I wasn't really ready to make a commitment, so I told them that I would keep thinking about it, but I'm not sure. Obviously the players are incredible, so it looked like a pretty good opportunity, and then I realized, I thought, "Wait, is groove still the coach of this team?"

I called Konstantin and asked: "Hey, are you in this whole thing with ULTI?" To which he received a positive response. I was like, “Wait a second, this is a game changer.” Then he again asked the question groove: "Well, if you moved to our organization, would you like to work with Cloud9 in the long term?". He says: "I've worked with three teams in 23 years and I would like Cloud9 to be my last."

Immediately after that, I realized that I was in business and would do everything to make the deal go through. Because this guy created the roster and will support it in the long run - this is what I want to invest in every time I create a team.

In the context of the conversation, Etienne also spoke about the reverse side of the coin, fearing a negative reaction due to the signing of the Russian team.

When I see players who are very passionate about what they do, I don't care if the government could stamp their passport, that's not what I really think about and I want to support players who are outstanding and passionate about of your area. Of course, when I told my team about it, they said, "Hey, this might get backlash and people will get upset about it."

We definitely needed to think, and I sat and thought, imagine we are doing this post, will there be people who are upset? There will be a few people who will get upset, and I understand why. But I also thought that there will be an absolute wave of support for these players, people want to support these players in their quest to become the best players on the planet. They should not at all depend on the politics of the country they come from. I felt that this is how they would be received - every now and then I am right, fortunately, this was one of those cases.

The general director of the club also spoke about the players themselves, who, according to him, are real professionals.

We have wonderful guys in the team, who, by the way, speak English very well. I did not know how we would get along, but in the end, we managed to have several meaningful conversations over dinners. They are humble, friendly and hardworking guys. After signing the roster, several colleagues told me how lucky Cloud9 was with this team. In any situation, my players continue to work hard, which is only admirable.

By signing a new composition, I literally won the lottery. I have always loved Counter-Strike, so I was painfully worried about the absence of my team in this discipline. It was hard to watch the tournaments, realizing that Cloud9 couldn't take part in them.

The Cloud9 functionary did not forget to mention the situation with the leading championships, to which teams receive direct invitations on the basis of the affiliate system. According to Etienne, the organization plans to become an ESL partner so that the team takes part in all major championships.

I need to talk to ESL and see what the company's plans are. I want my players to have the opportunity to play at every top tournament. Probably a trip to Dallas could be a good opportunity for dialogue, but it was more important for me to spend time with the players and the manager. This was my purpose of coming here. I spend time with my team and get to know them. I assure you that I will be talking to ESL representatives over the next few weeks. Perhaps Cloud9 will cooperate with them.

At the end, Etienne added that the organization currently has no plans to invite the roster to permanent residence in the US. However, he stressed that such an opportunity may arise in the future.

The process of moving the team to Europe went according to plan. Obtaining visas and resident status, providing housing and other nuances have been successfully completed. Players will play on European servers. You have to be in Europe to play with the best. Such is the reality. At the same time, I think that the team will be ready to move to the US as soon as the state of the professional scene changes, but for now we will proceed from the current circumstances.

Recall that Cloud9 signed the former roster of Gambit Esports at the end of April. In a month and a half, the team became the winner of Intel Extreme Masters XVII - Dallas, and also took 12-14th place in PGL Major Antwerp 2022.

Cloud9's current CS:GO roster is as follows:

• nafany.
• sh1ro.
• interz.
• Ax1Le.
• HObbit.
• groove (coach).