KOI roster allowed to explore options

4-1-2025 22:31

The organization is pivoting away from its deep Iberian Counter-Strike roots.

Over the course of the past week, the entire KOI roster has announced that each player has been allowed to explore options without the requirement of a buyout.

The announcements signaled a clear shift from the Spanish organization, which has deep roots in Counter-Strike in Iberia.

In January 2024 it inherited the core around Alejandro "⁠mopoz⁠" Fernández-Quejo Cano, who has been the one constant in an ever-changing team for a whopping seven years, after OverActive Media acquired KOI and Movistar Riders and merged them into a single entity.

In a response to a fan's question about whether KOI was closing its Counter-Strike division, OverActive CEO Adam Adamou stressed Counter-Strike is "one of our key games" and hinted at a long-term plan to make the organization a big player on the scene. That would likely see it move away from Iberia entirely.

"I have asked our managers to come up with a plan that can eventually get us into the top ten," Adamou said on X on Thursday. "The team may run as [Canadian sister company] Toronto Ultra or Movistar KOI in either NA or EU."

"If we can't make it work for 2025 we won't," he added.

KOI resided around the top 30 ranking for most of their existence. They most notably made it to PGL Major Copenhagen's Opening Stage in a surprise run through the Europe RMR in early 2024, immortalizing KOI in Counter-Strike within two months of the merge.

Other than that, they struggled to make waves on the scene, with their best result being a top-four finish at FiReLEAGUE 2024 Global Finals in June. Their only Big Event appearance other than the Copenhagen Major took place at ESL Pro League Season 20 in September, where they went out in last place after three straight losses amid a plummet in the rankings.

The following players and coach are on the lookout for new opportunities:

Alejandro "⁠mopoz⁠" Fernández-Quejo Cano
David "⁠dav1g⁠" Granado Bermudo
Tiago "⁠JUST⁠" Moura
Renato "⁠stadodo⁠" Gonçalves
Adam "⁠adamS⁠" Marian

Eloy "⁠deLonge⁠" Suárez (coach)

RIP KOI. Can’t have nice thing without Portugal ruining everything.

2025-01-04 22:34

116

4 replies

portugal aka pre-brazil

2025-01-04 22:36

How kind of KOI to allow them to explore options!

2025-01-04 23:27

so, why did portugal ruin koi? they sell Alex, martinez and sunpayus. Who should they get? tell me spanish players ademar.

2025-01-05 01:29

SAW always owned this awful team even the two PT rejects are better than 99.9% of spanish bots

2025-01-05 01:30

Weird move

2025-01-04 22:32

And still no official statement from the org....

2025-01-04 22:33

RIP spanish CS

1 reply

Spanish CS dead since x6tence | FlipiN era

2025-01-09 21:29

KOI +kyousuke

so sad

Rip Spain

2025-01-04 22:35

We will miss Riders

won't be missed

Man this is so sad :/

2025-01-04 22:37

2025-01-04 22:40

RIP spanish cs, thanks to some people who dont know how to manage properly a project with such a potential, this is so sad

2025-01-04 22:41

Nip is getting the KOI core???

This is what happens when the CEO has no idea what CS is

2025-01-04 22:48

:( one of the saddest days of Spanish and Iberian CS

2025-01-04 22:49

Riders died for this. They were the pride of their region, and now they're being abandoned. Truly sad.

RIP Spanish CS

2025-01-04 22:51

Ibai aka "The Cow" and grazen destroy every team they are part of. I will wait for their downfall.

2025-01-04 22:58

Ibai, KOI orga is a cancer that no respect the esports past.

2025-01-04 23:00

he only cares about spending millions for lol just to lose

2025-01-05 19:48

they want to have a top 10 team? only way they do that is if they pay The MongolZ out the ass to play for them

They want to do it with NA talent, the joke speaks for itself

2025-01-05 00:17

this org is a disgrace man

2025-01-04 23:10

KOI is a disgrace for esports... we'll be back

2025-01-04 23:18

dark days for Spanish CS

2025-01-04 23:20

I hope mopoz gets a new team. He was always one of my iberian favourites.

2025-01-04 23:25

someone pick up mopoz and adams

2025-01-04 23:32

koi destroyed the spanish scene in a year, that's crazy

2025-01-04 23:53

When rich buy teams as toys, the scene dies

2025-01-05 01:15

F spanish CS :( sad day

2025-01-05 01:26

+ alex + sunpayus + 3 other europeans

2025-01-05 01:33

+Spinx, REZ & isak

2025-01-05 10:06

sad to see this. Hopefully some spanish org appears so the scene does not die entirely.

2025-01-05 01:49

hopefully they disapear for good dont need spanish bots in the scene

2025-01-05 14:45

Sad day for Spanish CS :(

2025-01-05 02:45

I was always rooting for national teams, like Movistar Riders ans SAW. Those teams feel like they have more soul and that not everything is about money. Because of the nationality restriction, you have to actively scout and promote young talents. I would be so sad, if BIG would meet this fate. Much love and appreciation for the Spanish CS scene. You guys deserve better. I hope that you get another great team, like Movistar Riders once was.

2025-01-05 04:21

...sending virtual hug...

2025-01-05 18:07

KOI, Movistar Riders und MAD Lions RIP

2025-01-05 05:00

Toronto Ultra sign Twistzz, NAF, walco and fang

2025-01-05 06:48

26:1 rip

2025-01-05 08:26

expected, they been stealing paychecks on Movistar legacy this lineup was awful, stadodo is easily one of the worst players

2025-01-05 09:17

Crazy just how bad they got after losing alex. The spanish bones are good, hope they can recover. Was still such an exciting team with martinez instead of sunpayus, but losing alex was their deathknell.

2025-01-05 10:19

Let's not forget that KOI is one of the biggest esports organizations in the world... It's a shame that Ibai only cares about League of Legends, that's the only problem here.

2025-01-05 11:35