Dust2: Evil Geniuses plan to terminate contracts with their current roster in the discipline of Counter-Strike

Earlier this week, Evil Geniuses initiated a significant round of workforce reductions, triggering a sweeping reorganization. According to a former employee, the remaining staff was further depleted and had essentially operated as a "skeleton crew" for most of 2023. Within the organization, the work environment was likened to a "prison with snacks," where overworked employees struggled to meet their commitments.

In early November, Evil Geniuses announced the termination of their partnership with their DOTA 2 team. Now, as per a report by Richard Lewis, the organization is reportedly considering a similar move in Valve's other flagship title, Counter-Strike 2. One of Lewis's sources stated:

"They plan to focus exclusively on Riot games," they explained, "meaning they'll retain the men's Counter-Strike team until December and may consider discontinuing their involvement with the women's teams sooner."

Earlier in the current year, Evil Geniuses supported up to four teams in the Counter-Strike discipline, including EG Black and EG White, as part of the ambitious Blueprint project, complementing the main Evil Geniuses team and the EG Gold women's team. In April, EG White was disbanded, and most players from EG Black were promoted to the main roster, with many of the main roster players becoming free agents.

One of Evil Geniuses' major partners, the betting company Thunderpick, expressed dissatisfaction with the dissolution of these teams.

A source familiar with the partnership explained:

"When they entered into the partnership, they believed would have four Counter-Strike teams," the source said, "but they reduced them to two. Then they added the DOTA 2 team, but it turned out to be secondary, and now it's no longer in existence."

These developments signify a significant shift in the esports landscape, as Evil Geniuses reassesses its commitments and focuses its resources on specific gaming titles while making challenging decisions about its team rosters.