Young Ninjas have shut down after producing several tier-one CS2 players and winning the final WePlay Academy League season.
On Monday, July 20, Ninjas in Pyjamas announced the closure of their academy Counter-Strike 2 division, Young Ninjas, with all players and staff officially released from the organisation.
The decision to shut down Young Ninjas sees the academy program close its doors after five and a half years, during which Young Ninjas became one of the most recognisable academy CS2 teams in the scene.
Ninjas in Pyjamas formed the academy team in December 2020 and finalised the roster in January. Throughout their existence, Young Ninjas established themselves as one of the most successful academy projects, both in terms of tournament results and developing young talent.
Notably, Young Ninjas were one of the most decorated teams of the now-disbanded WePlay Academy League, with one bronze, one silver, and one gold medal, the latter from the sixth and final season of the tournament series.
Besides filling up their trophy cabinet, Young Ninjas also served as an excellent development environment, with many of their graduates going on to play in the tier-one scene, including Erik “ztr” Gustafsson, Linus “nilo” Bergman, Love “phzy” Smidebrant, Roman “n0te” Hamze, and Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara.
Despite the success Young Ninjas achieved on and off the stage, Ninjas in Pyjamas decided to pull the plug on the project as they evaluate the future of their competitive ecosystem.
As a result, the remaining members in Rūdolfs “rud” Osmanis, Dawid “tein” Śladkowski, Joe “joeski” Holmes, and coach Rasmus “Zitte” Johansson Gustafsson have all been released from their contracts.
“Today, we are saying goodbye to the incredibly talented players of our Young Ninjas roster. Developing the next generation of talent has always been an important part of our identity, and it has been a privilege to watch these players grow, improve, and take the next steps in their careers,” read the announcement.
“As we look ahead, we’ve made the difficult decision to put the Young Ninjas project on hold for the foreseeable future. While this wasn’t an easy decision, we believe it’s the right one as we evaluate the future of our competitive ecosystem.”
Young Ninjas played their last tournament in June, when they attended European Pro League Series 7.
After successfully making it through the group stage, Young Ninjas forfeited their opening match of the playoffs and shortly after promoted n0te to the main NIP roster. They have not formed a new lineup since.
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
