BIG Parts Ways with Coach kakafu, xenn Steps in as Interim Replacement

BIG has announced the departure of Alexander "kakafu" Szymanczyk, who will no longer serve as the team’s head coach.

Stepping in on an interim basis is Sebastian "xenn" Hoch, a former ALTERNATE aTTaX player, who initially joined BIG as an assistant coach in January.

The Austrian coach took over from Fatih "gob b" Dayik in May 2024, earning a promotion from his previous assistant role. His tenure helped stabilize the team during a challenging transition back to a German-speaking roster.

However, BIG failed to break into the top 10 rankings or reach the playoffs at a major event—a plateau that ultimately led to kakafu's departure.

This was his second stint as BIG’s head coach, having previously held the role from 2017 to 2018. During that period, the team reached the PGL Krakow Major playoffs with the help of a controversial jump bug.

New interim coach xenn steps in with invitations to IEM Melbourne and PGL Astana already secured. Additionally, BIG is on the verge of qualifying for the Major Regional Qualifiers, thanks to their 20th-place ranking in the Valve Global Standings.

Current BIG Roster:

• Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz
• Karim "Krimbo" Moussa
• Jon "JDC" de Castro
• Can "kyuubii" Ali
• Marcel "hyped" Köhn

Interim Coach:Sebastian "xenn" Hoch