Titan sign ScreaM

The Belgian hot-shot will step into the shoes of Mathieu "⁠Maniac⁠" Quiquerez with immediate effect and will make his first appearance for the team on Friday, at DreamHack Open Stockholm, which is playing host to the qualifying tournament for the Cluj major.

The move signals Adil "⁠ScreaM⁠" Benrlitom's return to Titan, whom he previously represented from January 2014 (when the Singapore-based organisation signed VeryGames' roster) to August of that same year. Months later, the 21-year-old stated that he would like to rejoin Titan, who were on the lookout for a new fifth player following Hovik "⁠KQLY⁠" Tovmassian's VAC ban, but the team went in a different direction and picked Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy.

During his time in Team Kinguin/G2, ScreaM finished 5th-8th at ESL One Cologne and won Gaming Paradise. His last appearance for the team was at DreamHack Open London, where G2 finished 5th-6th following defeats against TSM and Copenhagen Wolves in the group stage.

"I have decided to quit G2 for personal reasons," Benrlitom said in a statement. "The communication on the team had disappeared, and, as a result, the pleasure of playing together as team had diminished.

"I would like to thank G2 for all they did, we did not miss anything and they were always there for us. It is very important for players to have such an organisation and this kind of support! I hope I will have the chance to work with them again one day! I wish them the best of luck."

This is the third roster change for Titan in the space of two months, after they acquired Edouard "⁠SmithZz⁠" Dubourdeaux and Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon in a trade with EnVyUs that saw Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire and Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub move in the opposite direction.

At the same time, Maniac announced that he was quitting his job to play Counter-Strike full time. Still, criticism targeted at the Swiss' performances continued with Titan's disappointing campaigns at Gaming Paradise and the ESL ESEA Pro League Dubai Invitational. He now finds himself on the chopping block as the team aim to qualify for the Cluj major.

Despite the blow, Maniac stressed that he will continue playing on a professional level and vowed to "come back stronger."

"After one year of great collaboration, my adventure in Titan has come to end," Quiquerez told Titan's website. "I could not adapt myself quickly enough and find my place in the new line-up. Shox does everything I used to do but he does it better. I truly respect and acknowledge this decision.

"I will learn from my mistakes, bounce back and come back stronger. I am absolutely not done with professional gaming. Expect to hear from me very soon. Thank you for your endless support."

Titan, who will face Skyred on Friday at 12:30 in the opening round of Group B, featuring also HellRaisers and Vexed Gaming, now have:

Kévin "⁠Ex6TenZ⁠" Droolans
Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy
Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon
Edouard "⁠SmithZz⁠" Dubourdeaux
Adil "⁠ScreaM⁠" Benrlitom

ScreaM's departure leaves G2 with just four players just one month before the next major. In their statement, the organisation revealed that the team "will be holding tryouts for the fifth position" and did not rule out the possibility of signing a player outside of Europe.

Until a new fifth player is found, G2 will be fielding stand-ins in their online matches, "who may not necessarily be the players" who are being tested, the organisation added.

G2 currently have:

Mikail "⁠Maikelele⁠" Bill
Håvard "⁠rain⁠" Nygaard
Ricardo "⁠fox⁠" Pacheco
Dennis "⁠dennis⁠" Edman

Nikola "⁠LEGIJA⁠" Ninić (coach)