We reported on the player fatigue that was beginning to rear its head in the professional scene of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in early December of 2019, an article that would eventually be the siren call that marked a string of players taking leaves of absence from teams early in 2020.
Yet following Gla1ve taking medical leave from Astralis to deal with fatigue and burnout comes Xyp9x also making a similar statement, similarly taking a leave of absence.
Two players from one of the most prestigious teams in professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is now currently on a leave of absence, leaving the pedigree of the team in frank ganger as Astralis searches for players to take the spots of the two.
It’s not like the players are unhappy with the organization, either; all players from the Astralis organization speak highly of both management and conditions, including coach Danny ‘zonic’ Sorensen who has been with the organization since the beginning of 2016.
This is a team that is continually receiving large payouts due to high placement in a multitude of tourneys, and having a nearly unstoppable LAN presence when they were more common. This isn’t a mere case of a washed-up team becoming tired of failing.
Instead, it appears to be the long-overdue results of constant tournaments being played with little to no breathing room; these players eat, sleep, and play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, working tirelessly with no readily-discernable end in sight.
Xyp9x is following in the footsteps of olofmeister leaving FaZe clan, Zellsis and Freakazoid stepping away to participate in Valorant, and even ALEX stepping away from Team Vitality.
The consistent drain of talent is concerning for teams, investors, and fans alike. As more of the top players simply become burned out on the competitive beauty that is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the matches will become admittedly less intense.
Not to say that the remaining talent is anything but pristine, but more so teams that have practiced for years together will now suddenly have a weak link, if for no other reason than the new members not fully comprehending strategies employed by that team.
As of now, Astralis is frantically searching for two new members that will take the place of both legendary players Xyp9x and Gla1ve, massive shoes that need to be filled. Rumors circle that Astralis are looking at ALEX and JUGi.
Yet even if Astralis are to pick them both up, what happens when Gla1ve and Xyp9x return, as they’ve stated that they are planning on doing? Clearly the pedigree of the two players would surmount the ability of the new pick-ups, which means that the new players that have filled the void could be discarded (and searching frantically for a team themselves) once they return. Although perhaps it would be more accurate to state ‘if’ they return.
Legends are dropping out of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive like flies, and the singular reason stated is stress and burnout. Either the tournament organizers will need to change something, or Valve will need to step in themselves, lest the current situation becomes worse.
