In the early days of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Ninjas in Pyjamas established themselves among the best the game had to offer. They were among the first CS:GO Major winners, and you could argue their legendary roster of friberg, Xizt, GeT_RiGhT, f0rest, and Fifflaren should have even more to show for their performances back in the day. They’ll always have the iconic undefeated map streak, going 87:0 without losing in the early days of CS:GO.
Recent times have been much more difficult for the Ninjas in Pyjamas. Success seems like a distant memory, with the organization a shadow of its former self. But there are reasons to believe that the Ninjas might be back – but are they? Let’s dive into it.
Even in esports, Father Time is undefeated. As the icons from their early CS:GO roster slowly fell away, Ninjas in Pyjamas struggled to replace them. This was especially difficult while attempting to maintain their Swedish identity, with players like Brollan, Plopski, nawwk, and hampus all coming in and struggling to live up to the names that came before. Even the blockbuster signing of dev1ce from Astralis in 2021 wasn’t enough to get the Ninjas back on track.
Credit: Adela Sznajder | © ESL
In more recent years, Ninjas in Pyjamas have abandoned that Swedish identity in pursuit of glory. International rosters featuring the likes of Aleksib, headtr1ck, es3tag, and k0nfig have all failed miserably, putting NIP seemingly further away from success than ever.
Ninjas fans, there’s hope yet. Just recently, Ninjas in Pyjamas unveiled its new CS2 roster, bringing maxster up from the academy, isak from GamerLegion, and talented Ukrainian AWPer r1nkle from B8, while sticking with alex and REZ from the previous team. Oh, and legendary player Xizt is back as a coach after his successful period in Heroic. This returns NIP to a Swedish core, which is great, but this is a results business, and the early signs are strong in that regard, too.
Credit: Compass_CS2 on X
Recently, Ninjas in Pyjamas headed to Abu Dhabi for YaLLa Compass 2024, where, in their first LAN together, they reached the Grand Final. Losing here to TheMongolZ is nothing to be ashamed of, given the Asian team’s form right now. They even managed to take a map! The community response has instantly focused on one question: are Ninjas in Pyjamas back?
We’re not sure we’d go that far yet, but if they were back, this is probably what it would look like to start with. All the roles seem to fit well, and r1nkle looks to be a true star AWPer. Things won’t be perfect yet, but maxster looks to have made the step up from the academy leagues smoothly, while alex’s calling is better than it ever was on the previous NIP roster. They even took some good scalps at YaLLa Compass 2024, beating both Heroic and Astralis in close matches.
Credit: Compass_CS2 on X
The true test of NIP’s level will come throughout the rest of 2024. Despite good results in Abu Dhabi, we want to see them face even better opposition on a consistent basis. The BLAST Fall Groups will be a great opportunity, as they’ll be guaranteed attendance through the partner system. They need some strong results in the rest of the year, as when 2025 arrives, their Valve World Ranking will determine their tournament invites as the partner spots are sunsetted. It’s a crucial period for the team, and hopefully, the upcoming player break doesn’t kill their current momentum.
So, in conclusion, are Ninjas in Pyjamas back? Maybe. Crucially, looking at the team right now, they’re smiling again. NIP’s recent rosters have been so doom and gloom, and it showed on their faces. NIP need to enjoy their CS again before they can begin to compete, and they’re on the right track.
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