Complexity exit Counter-Strike: "It's been an incredibly difficult time economically"

The storied North American organization will be without a Counter-Strike team for the first time since 2014.

In a video posted on X, Complexity CEO Jason Lake has announced the organization will be stepping away from Counter-Strike and the team will be moving on. A quartet of players are reportedly in talks to join Passion UA.

"As you can imagine, it's a tough day for us," Lake says. "We love Counter-Strike very much."

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Sources: Passion UA in talks over Complexity quartet

The storied North American organization was one of the oldest esports organizations still active in Counter-Strike, acquiring a CS roster in 2004 and fielding a team for all but one of the last 24 years. During that span, the organization brought home a few notable trophies, including title wins at ESWC 2005, CPL Summer 2006, and ESL Challenger Jönköping 2024.

A majority stake in Complexity was sold to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and real estate investor John Goff in 2017 before the organization was acquired by GameSquare in 2021. Lake, leading an investor group, re-acquired Complexity for $10.36 million in 2024, but scarce sponsorship opportunities in North America have since led to financial struggles for the organization.

"I know our fans are going to have a lot of questions, and honestly the answer is pretty simple," Lake states.

"After a really strong '23 and '24, 2025 in the esports economy has been really challenging for us, and quite simply we have not been able to drive enough revenue to afford to properly support a tier-one team.

"We could have probably dragged things out a bit longer, but we want to make sure we do right by our players and the division, and this was the right thing for us to do at this time.

"We have tried everything and turned over every rock, searched for investment and revenue, but it's just been an incredibly difficult time economically and with shrinking revenues this year, it kind of forced our hand."

Lake also ruled out the possibility of returning to Counter-Strike in the immediate future, saying that one of the aforementioned challenges would first need to be solved, before offering a heartfelt thanks to his players and staff.