Sprout was a small esports organization based in Germany, although it also had some roots planted in Denmark. Founded in 2017, Sprout prided itself on sustainability by developing young talents, before moving them on to bigger teams for a hefty sum. Unfortunately, Sprout ceased operations in March 2024, citing a business model that was “no longer viable to ensure required sustainable and healthy growth,” laying to bed seven years of history.
Sprout was mostly known among esports fans for its competitive Counter-Strike roster, competing in both CS:GO and CS2. However, it also fielded lineups in both League of Legends and Trackmania.
Credit: Helena Kristiansson | © ESL
Sprout first kicked off its Counter-Strike story in 2017 by signing the old Seed lineup. This involved picking up players like denis, innocent, and Spiidi. It wasn’t long until the team attended their first-ever CS:GO Major, after qualifying for the ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018. While Sprout didn’t exactly make waves at the tournament, it was a huge step forward for the team.
The next few years for Sprout were characterized by grinding Tier 2 of the CS scene. Large tournament appearances were difficult to come by and for the most part, Sprout would appear in one or two big events per year. Despite the lack of prize money from tournaments, Sprout was kept alive by its dedication to developing talents, moving on some big names for large sums.
Credit: Adela Sznajder | © ESL
Its final Major appearance came in late 2022 at the IEM Rio Major, where it finished in 12th-14th place – a respectable performance given the resources on offer. In July 2023, Sprout would form its first-ever Academy team, given itself the best chance of continuing to develop top youth CS talent around the world. However, the lack of big event appearances eventually caught up with the organization, and it ceased operations in March 2024, released its players immediately.
Ultimately, Sprout’s legacy will still be visible all around the Counter-Strike pro scene. Its list of former players include NaToSaphiX, syrsoN, k1to, dycha, faveN, raalz, refresh, lauNX, Staehr, Zyphon, and w0nderful, many of whom may never have been given a chance to impress without Sprout. Although Sprout may be gone from Counter-Strike, the seeds it planted will still be here for years to come.
Sprout’s League of Legends journey began in late 2021, as it entered the scene merging with RULE. Unfortunately, Sprout’s League of Legends team never broke through to the top tier of play, and its history will be defined by its struggles in the Prime League 2nd Division for most of its existence. Sprout decided to leave League of Legends behind in March 2023, as it looked to put its focus back into Counter-Strike.
The story of Sprout in Trackmania is extremely similar to that of League of Legends. Sprout entered Trackmania in early 2022, picking up Scrapie, with DexteR coming later in the years. However, the team struggled to find any real success in this particular esport, leaving behind a very small legacy in Trackmania. Sprout left Trackmania in March 2023 to focus on other endeavors, as it did with League of Legends.
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