smooya enters free agency

3-3-2022 16:20

The 22-year-old is now free to explore his options in the market.

Owen "⁠smooya⁠" Butterfield has left fnatic and is now a free agent, the player announced on Twitter. The British sniper has been released from his contract with the London-based organization after a little more than a week spent on the bench.

fnatic enacted the change in late February, ahead of the team's adventure in the open qualifiers for the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Europe RMR. To fill the void left by the Brit's benching, Iulian "⁠regali⁠" Harjău was called up from fnatic Rising.

smooya is now a free agent

The British AWPer joined fnatic in October on a trial basis following the departure of Jack "⁠Jackinho⁠" Ström Mattsson, helping them take trophies at REPUBLEAGUE TIPOS Season 2 and DreamHack Open November 2021. Despite showing great form initially, smooya failed to maintain consistency after the turn of the new year, going from a 1.22 rating in 2021 to a 1.01 rating in 2022.

Following a disappointing performance at IEM Katowice, the young AWPer was moved to the bench in favor of academy prospect regali. Since his benching, smooya has taken part in the open qualifiers for the Europe RMR alongside other European players at Benched Heroes as well as standing in for Into the Breach during Pinnacle Winter Series 3 Regionals.

fnatic confirm smooya benching

This is the latest in a series of updates regarding the fnatic roster, starting with the benching of the British AWPer and Ninjas in Pyjamas's reported shock bid for star rifler Ludvig "⁠Brollan⁠" Brolin.

fnatic are currently participating in the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Europe RMR Open Qualifier 3, and will take part in ESL Pro League Season 15 starting on March 9.

fnatic currently play with the following lineup:

Alex "⁠ALEX⁠" McMeekin
William "⁠mezii⁠" Merriman
Iulian "⁠regali⁠" Harjău
Freddy "⁠KRIMZ⁠" Johansson
Peppe "⁠Peppzor⁠" Borak

Jamie "⁠keita⁠" Hall (coach)

Ludvig "⁠Brollan⁠" Brolin (benched)

Sadly too toxic...

2022-03-03 16:20

17 replies

2022-03-03 16:21

A lie. Fnatic player can't deal with an alpha

2022-03-03 16:41

4 replies

Krimz gigachad

2022-03-03 16:48

3 replies

Yeah krimz is the chad here not a toxic ice age character

2022-03-03 17:43

2 replies

LOL

2022-03-03 22:07

2022-03-04 04:37

didnt know you were a fnatic player

2022-03-03 17:06

He was benched for performance, not toxicity. But he was actually being very supportive, so his stats didn't reflect his value. That's why Fnatic is now doing so much worse despite Regali having better stats. Though of course Peppzor being awful and Brollan (their best player) being benched isn't helping either.

2022-03-03 18:37

8 replies

Fnatic is turning into a joke.

2022-03-03 19:16

Finally someone who actually understands the situation well^^

2022-03-04 00:51

Nah I'm pretty sure there were some strong personality clashes with smooya in that roster, he's hinted at it on stream. He wasn't doing too badly at kato, i mean they beat g2 but I guess they didn't see a future with him.

2022-03-04 02:27

Yup, honestly fnatic should've thought long and hard about if they want a british lineup or keep the swedish guys, I feel like it'd be better if they let krimz and brollan go to find themselves teams where they're more comfortable than kick smooya , but idk

2022-03-04 08:20

I think there were clashes even with the other british guys on the team, I don't think smooya and mezii got along very well but it's just a sad sitation overall..

2022-03-04 17:16

Ahh, i thought i t was mostly culture clash

2022-03-04 17:19

1 reply

I mean that was likely part of it as well since I doubt he got on so well with the swedes either..

2022-03-05 00:14

Fnatic is a complete joke and any pro player serious about csgo should not even entertain a contract with that org. Shit management is something you should stay far away from, period.

2022-03-06 19:08

2022-03-04 05:32

Sounds about right!

clips.twitch.tv/SuspiciousEmpathicKangar..

back to being homeless

Smooya an upgrade to any tier2 team for sure. Look what he did online when he was on trial for Fnatic... won 2 tournaments

7 replies

Yeah unfortunately those are the only orgs that will put up with him lol

2022-03-03 16:23

And now fnatic back to t8 without him.... deserved krimz

2022-03-03 16:24

5 replies

+1 XAXAXAXAAAAX

2022-03-03 16:32

2022-03-03 16:46

2022-03-03 17:52

Bald egg you mean?

2022-03-04 00:35

Yes

2022-03-04 01:30

no one cares

2022-03-03 16:22

Kjaerbye

2022-03-03 16:49

he is going to og soon

2022-03-03 16:50

- who?

2022-03-03 16:52

-ruggah

2022-03-03 18:53

-botZ

2022-03-03 19:05

Now we get to speculate which team he joins and gets kicked after 2 months, woo

If you can't fit with any teams maybe it's time to stop dreaming of it and go on and be a good streamer. He's a fun witty guy to watch, if he would dare to play any other games than CSGO he could make far more money.

10 replies

It's not that simple. His audience on twitch is there to watch him play CS:GO, venturing into other games for the sake of variety usually comes with a viewership cost. Eventually they (the streamers) just stream what they want, but expanding to other games is not an easy cheque whatsoever.

2022-03-03 16:38

9 replies

It is that simple even if it may not see simple. Watch Kojima's interviews, man does not give a flying fuck if you like his next game - he makes it. Even so, sign that half the people who liked his first game do not like his second game is a great thing for him - because it means he evolved. And some people who like his second game will like his first, some won't. Getting stuck in is a self imposed trap. People would watch him play any fun game and he'd be great at some more entertaining games to watch when it comes to streaming. EFT, Rust and such that also have potential for youtube content.

2022-03-03 17:03

Your Kojima example is all fine and dandy, having the courage to take a leap of faith in such an unforgiving industry is commendable for sure, but that doesn't always yield greater profits. Personal growth and self-improvement is great don't get me wrong, and and as a streamer you absolutely should expand your horizons if streaming one sole game is making you miserable, but it's absolutely not a certain pathway to making more dough. And that was the entire point of this discussion. Streamers are primarily entertainers, as such they have grown their respective communities over the years and become known playing and mastering one particular game. Imagine a band suddenly doing a 180-degree turn and completely jumping into a different genre, a significant part of their fanbase would most likely leave, without a guarantee that one of similar size would grow back. Some big streamers from various esports scenes who pull way fewer viewers streaming something else than their main game: aceu AdmiralBulldog s1mple SingSing TenZ and the list goes on. Then on the other side of the coin you have personalities like xQc who also came from an esports game, namely Overwatch. He's one a in a million, considering the success he's had. Again I'd like to emphasize, he's an extreme outlier. Big streamers usually ALWAYS pull less viewers than when streaming something other than their main game, they themselves admit it but they do it anyway for a mental break or just to have fun. He should do it if he wants to, not because he's guaranteed to pull more viewers for the big bucks.

Your core argument is valid, but not everyone is a good and fun streamer. Here's counter example, summit1g, made more money than all those you've mentioned combined. Plays whateverthefuck he wants when he wants it. yes, you get less views on some things compared to other but proper choices give good results. When you branch out from your main game you will lose some, but each new game you play and you are good at streaming it - you will earn new people. Ones I suggested, EFT or Rust would be down his alley cause he could use his FPS skills and his shit talking ability to the max. He can be an alpha moron he likes to be (all due respect, not aimed as an insult, he likes being a moron).

2022-03-03 17:48

summit is one of the OGs, I think he's been actively streaming ever since Justin.tv, that's his big advantage. Loyalty goes a long way. He's a cool dude, but honestly objectively he's not that great of a streamer. If he would've started streaming during the recent years I don't think he would pull any viewers whatsoever. There are way more entertaining streamers out there that get no recognition, the market is just that oversaturated as of right now. I'm not saying smooya wouldn't succeed in branching out, my point is it's not as straightforward as you think it is. He might have to grind different games for years before gaining a proper viewcount, since different games already have established communites and personalities to follow. I've followed many content creators and esports personalities over the years and the pattern is pretty damn consistent. All the best to him if he decides to take that route though.

2022-03-04 14:57

I only know s1mple and tenz, no idea of the others you mentioned. what tenz and s1mple "sell" for people to see them play is their talent or insight of the pro scene. on youtube, the only clips (that I see) of them is about sick plays, insane aim (like aimlab or aimbotz), or some comments they do relevant to the game or teams. others are shit (or decent) gamers, but make the experience fun to watch. funny comments, interesting or new perspective they bring to the table, etc. smooya could be an extremely fun person to watch. he is witty with his comments (flying egg? wtffffff lol) he could make that the thing he sells for people to comsume. because he is not really the best aimer, not the best player, etc. what else can he sell? he could create a whole persona for entertainment. much like dr disrecpect.

2022-03-03 22:41

Man, you're a legend for watching Singsing and AdmiralBulldog and you're right. I don't watch them unless they're playing Dota 2 and tiliting. You make a good point.

2022-03-04 03:00

Funny how you mention 5 streamers with exactly 0 personality and who people only watch because of sheer talent or the funny friends they have on stream lmao

2022-03-04 13:54

Doesn't matter who I mention, they all follow the same pattern. Most esports players don't have an extremely outgoing personality, I don't consider smooya to have one either. Loud and obnoxious doesn't equal entertaining.

2022-03-04 14:41

Pattern is that they have no personality. Shroud is a fluke streamer who has nothing going, no humor, no interests or hobbies, he didn't even finish school. He is as dumb as a brick and a boring dude, but he plays well and he plays with interesting people to make his stream interesting. But ones you mentioned are boring playing no matter one. Loud and witty does mean entertaining, if he wasn't sweating for FaceIT rankings and dedicated half of his brain to being interesting he could be a good streamer. Cause his interviews, he always tries to add spice to them. And he's not afraid of looking or sounding like a dumbass, he enjoys it. He has a fun persona that all streamers you suggested combined could not pull off ever. s1mpe is a cool dude, chill, but if he wasn't an esports legend his stream would be empty. Smooya's legacy in esports is that he's a toxic idiot - so why not be that in streaming? Why tryhard that in esports where it does not work but in streaming that actually works and pays well?

2022-03-04 17:18

sad

fnatic lol

SMOOOOOOOOOOOYAAAAAAAA

“ Owen "⁠smooya⁠" Butterfield has been left fnatic and…” Let me fix that first line for you “ Owen "⁠smooya⁠" Butterfield, has been. Left fnatic and…”

This is an international site. Please write your comment in English.

2022-03-04 02:12

2022-03-04 02:53

2022-03-04 11:41

so many typos...

2022-03-03 16:25

-junior +smooya

From bad to worse

2022-03-03 16:35

Lmao

2022-03-04 02:38

P3N15

2022-03-04 04:36

who?

If any teams want a toxic 1.0 rated LAN awper go ahead.

2022-03-03 16:28

smoooooooooooooooooooooooya

2022-03-03 16:29

AGAiN

2022-03-03 16:30

if teams want to win, they will sign smooya. it's obvious fnatic doesnt want to win

loser

2022-03-03 16:33

waste of time with smoya in team

2022-03-03 16:34

Smooya "The 1.0 LAN rating Star Player"

Dirty vagabond

2022-03-03 16:37

smooooooooooo

2022-03-03 16:39

the most dogshit player of this century.

2022-03-03 16:40

this guy is idiot i swear

AHAHAHHH

UK cs LOL who?

2022-03-03 16:42

smoooooooooooooooya

2022-03-03 16:43

Come to MIBR, legend

OMEGALMAO. King of free agents.

2022-03-03 16:44

It will be hard for him to find some team Maybe tier 2-3 team will pick him up

+++ Good awper Brings hype into the team ( at first ) Minuses Toxic ( maybe one team was wrong but all of them ?! ) Inconsistent. He's not that kind of guy which u can bet to hit an important shot in an important moment.

2022-03-03 16:45

Can't play for benched heroes anymore

Guy has too much energy. Giving me stewie2k vibes. Needs an energetic captain/teammate like karrigan and he will be fine.

+1 definitely falls in that maikelele/stewie category dude's definitely skilled but runs his mouth too much + he thinks hes way more charismatic than he actually is

the maikelele comparison makes a lot of sense, except for the "moon landings were faked" bit

2022-03-04 00:49

back to farming Tier 3 teams... Fnatic is a dead org at this point in CS

2022-03-03 16:47

I heard astralis needs a sniper. They would never go outside of Denmark, unless it was for another Northern European who speaks danish

Wait, what??? Brollan is benched? Since when? And why???

will join NIP

2022-03-03 16:53

got bought out

2022-03-04 04:24

Soon: Smooya moves to Valorant

“has been left fnatic”

2022-03-03 16:58

-syrson + smooya lmao

Smooya u got it man, keep griding, but seems like your issue is not the skill, u’r good, but likely something else u r doing wrong, maybe get way to excited, screamy, toxic??? U gotta know yourself what it is and try to adjust to team atmosphere and habits next time u join an org. Its def gonna be hard to adjust if all others are quiet durring matches, but if u can be on the same page woth others it has to evetually work out well for ya. Good luck!

2022-03-03 16:59

Only og left is krimz

2022-03-03 17:05

Hltv juice stream when?

2022-03-03 17:12

Cringeman.

0/8

2022-03-03 17:13

Welcome to EG

2022-03-03 17:15

BETTER THAN REGALI FNATIC DEAD TEAM BTW

2022-03-03 17:19

-smooya & -Brollan Fnatic what are u doing ?

2022-03-03 17:24

BenchedHeroes new international super team!

FINALLY!

2022-03-03 18:03

im not baba vanga but i write this coming 1 day after the smoya's anouncement 1 day after people hype fnatic when they are winning everything with smoya and one day after their first hard loss

2022-03-03 18:10

xD n1

2022-03-04 08:38

2022-03-03 18:14

If he learns some manners and how to behave like a regular human being should, some team might pick him up eventually

2022-03-03 18:17

Who the hell will give the 4261783rd chance to him? He clearly prooved that tier1 isn't for him. Not because his in-game skill, but...

2022-03-03 18:32

again

2022-03-03 18:35

good luck smooya

2022-03-03 18:40

just retire bro no one wnats you at this point

2022-03-03 18:43

This guy is free again sadge

2022-03-03 18:44

all he has to do is stop running his mouth all the time, and shut up. That is literally it.

That is literally it. Dude is toxic

2022-03-03 19:01

I am beginning to wonder if perhaps he has a mental condition like Tourette's or ADHD, or potentially both? In his interviews he sounds like he is aware that he pisses people off, but just doesn't seem to stop, could be a lack of giving a shit, but also shows signs of a potential mental disorder. If I was a friend of his, I'd be recommending to go get tested by a psychiatrist at the bare minimum.

2022-03-03 21:06

Maybe he is just an arsehole, knows about it but doesnt do anyting to fix it. Some people are like that.

2022-03-04 00:47

also a possibility...

2022-03-04 16:51

probably just needs to get punched in the face once or twice.

2022-03-04 15:03

Welp

2022-03-03 18:59

A washed toxic player

Once again Smoooooooooooooooooo

brollan to nip?

2022-03-03 19:09

Whoever running fnatic is actually just braindead.

2022-03-03 19:15

isn't cArn still the CGO there?

2022-03-03 21:02

Ever thought that smooyas trial was just coming to an end and fnatic noticing he's not worth offering a long term contract too? Source: trust me bro But hltv.org/news/32560/fnatic-sign-smooya-o.. 3 months, take off player break and it fits.

2022-03-03 19:24

Maybe he should take some unknown Brits and try to develop them by playing ESEA Leagues and all those open qualifiers? He needs to prove himself again after this fail with fnatic and I think that would be the best for him. GL smooya!

2022-03-03 20:05

His CV looks amazing, so many experiences in different teams

2022-03-03 20:06

lmao fnatic sucks

2022-03-03 20:50

why they benched brollan? He was their best player. One of the best entry fraggers

2022-03-03 21:09

In negotiation with NiP, Thats why

2022-03-04 05:31

22yo??? what the hell???

2022-03-04 00:50

how is smooya 22 lol i thought he was like 30

2022-03-04 00:54

Here we go again..again

2022-03-04 01:57

toxic

2022-03-04 02:37

Deserved, too toxic...

2022-03-04 03:06

I have never seen more failed player that gets same amount of spolight as this guy

Fluked into BIG and the whole "smooooooya" made him popular.

2022-03-04 05:22

+1 and giving edgy interviews all the time

2022-03-04 13:57

shroud v2 stick to streaming at least shroud was talented. hf with ur OF girlfriend most beta male in the scene. tipical "tell me ur from UK without telling me"

2022-03-04 05:46

good player? bad mentality? useless player

2022-03-04 06:14

he doesn't like very big contracts apparently, 2 months seems to be a lot...

2022-03-04 07:02

that doesn't take long

2022-03-04 08:45

I guess his attitude outweighs his skill. A couple of months ago he said that it's due to his "british humour", but it seems like mezii and Alex don't get his jokes either lol

2022-03-04 09:24

come to NA

2022-03-04 09:41

From the outside looking in it appears that he's trying to be too funny (Making weird noises isn't funny bra) in order to fit in... jus relax and play CS man, people will respect you more. Therapy101.

2022-03-04 12:56

Owen dont go heaven

2022-03-04 13:44

Where do you want me?

2022-03-04 14:22

Can't say it wasn't expected. Unfortunately too toxic, again.

2022-03-04 14:11

EG -cerq +smooya -brehze +jks

Until the next team..

2022-03-04 15:24

Garbage smoothie

2022-03-04 16:38

this guy don't stay fucking still

2022-03-04 18:27

Please go back to a swedish roster...

2022-03-05 00:03

All the best! Wishing you luck Smoooo

2022-03-05 09:44

-nitr0 +smooya

2022-03-06 01:21

smooy is a tough one he certainly got the skill to lift any shit team to T1.5 / T1 but he is prob toxic af and baits more then my mom during the days before Christmas

2022-03-06 02:55