Genuine Gaming's Counter Strike roster departs the organisation

A surprising announcement has come out today at Genuine Gaming, with the sudden departure of their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster - only a day after recently qualifying for the NVIDIA GeForce Cup held in Malaysia early next year.

Royce An, Managing Director at Genuine Gaming, said in the organisation’s statement “over the past year, we set out to show the community that consistency and hard work would show results. I am proud to say that we achieve that goal. There were many ups and downs, but we pulled through together and became a top five team in Australia.”

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the boys will no longer play under the Genuine Gaming banner. I want to personally thank each player for their commitment and hard work, and wish them the very best moving forward,” continued Royce.

“I look forward to cheering on the boys, regardless of which team they may play under,” he finished.

Genuine Gaming entered the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive title at the start of this year, signing the exact players that currently remain on the roster. Over the past eleven months, this roster has made waves under the Genuine Gaming banner; maintaining a top five placement in Australia for months now.

Key Achievements w/ Genuine Gaming:

• 13th/16th - eXTREMESLAND Asia Finals
• 3rd - ESEA MDL S32: Australia
• 2nd - ESL AUNZ Champs S8
• 2nd - ESEA MDL S31: Australia
• 1st - AEF Season 2
• 2nd - CGPL

Following the announcement of the teams departure, I had the opportunity to talk to one of the players, Tom “apocdud” Henry, to talk about why they left and what’s on the horizon for the roster.

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When asked why the team decided to depart Genuine Gaming, apocdud went on to say “after a solid year with Genuine, our contracts came up. During negotiations we decided it would be best if we fielded offers and saw what was out there now that we are a much different team than we were a year ago.”

“There was no issue with Genuine and they have been incredibly gracious in allowing stat to leave his contract, even though it has three months left,” finished apocdud.

With that being said, apocdud went on to talk about his time with Genuine Gaming, by saying “without a doubt, these guys are some of the most kind and caring people in esports, and they absolutely embody the Genuine name. They were always supportive of us even through some rough patches. I have a lot of respect for how they run their business, and I think it will pay dividends in the future.”

I then asked him what’s on the horizon for the roster now that they’re on the lookout for a new brand to represent. He stated “we don’t currently have any organisation lined up. We’re fielding any and all offers at the moment, and are looking for someone we can represent overseas in Malaysia this coming January.”

“We’re still going to be sticking together with our core five, just like we have been for the past year, and are aiming to travel internationally as much as possible,” finished apocdud.

Closing out our chat, apocdud gave some departing words about Genuine Gaming, stating “I think everyone on Genuine knows I love them at this point, but damn I can’t wait to see them kill it next year in the scene. You guys are all awesome; keep doing what you do.” 

“To any fans, or more accurately, the angry bettors who keep messaging me to kill myself, I love you too,” concluded apocdud.

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Here’s The Thing will be sure to stay connected with the team whilst they are without and organisation, and we will be sure to break the news once they find a new home.

When asking Genuine Gaming what is next for them, they responded with “we will be assessing our options for next year and sincerely wish the boys all the best.”
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If you wish to stay connected with apocdud himself, be sure to follow him on Twitter.