In a surprising move, Ninjas in Pyjamas announced that Max “maxster” Jansson has been moved to the bench despite previous plans to return to the roster in 2025. The decision, reportedly mutual between the organization and the 20-year-old player, marks the end of his immediate involvement with the team’s plans.
maxster was placed on the injured list in October, sidelining him ahead of NIP’s participation in Elisa Masters Espoo, where the team suffered early eliminations following defeats to B8 and JANO. Jacob “jocab” Nerheden, promoted from the academy team to fill the gap, remained in the lineup through subsequent events, including the Thunderpick World Championship, Svenska Cuppen — where NIP lost the grand final to Metizport — and YaLLa Compass Fall.
Ahead of the Perfect World Shanghai Major RMR, NIP confirmed that jocab would continue with the main roster. At the time, General Manager Björn “THREAT” Pers clarified that the decision was “neither a benching of Max nor a promotion of jocab.” Two days later, maxster assured fans he was recovering well and planned to rejoin the team in 2025. However, with this latest development, both sides are exploring exit options.
THREAT is expected to provide further details regarding the decision during a live stream on his Twitch channel at 18:00.
maxster, a product of the Young Ninjas Academy, played with the development team from March 2022 to March 2024 before earning a call-up to the main roster. His tenure with NIP was marked by instability within the lineup, contributing to group stage eliminations at ESL Pro League Seasons 19 and 20 and BLAST Premier Fall Groups. Despite these challenges, maxster was part of the roster that achieved a runner-up finish at YaLLa Compass, one of the few highlights of his time with the team.
