Ninjas in Pyjamas, a prominent name in esports, is reportedly gearing up for a complete roster overhaul in Counter-Strike 2 for the 2025 season. According to HLTV and journalist Guillaume ‘neL’ Rathier, the organization plans to rebuild its lineup, retaining only Artem “r1nkle” Moroz as the primary sniper.
In recent years, NiP’s performance has declined, with the team struggling to maintain its status in professional Counter-Strike. Their last major victory was at IEM Oakland 2017, and 2024 ended without a single major appearance or a spot in the top 30 global rankings. Efforts with players like Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke and Alejandro “alex” Masanet fell short of expectations, prompting the organization to pursue sweeping changes.
NiP is reportedly in discussions to sign Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, a veteran Danish captain from Falcons, who is expected to lead the new project. Rasmus “sjuush” Beck, formerly of Heroic, and the Portuguese duo Michel “ewjerkz” Magalhães and Rafael “arrozdoce” Wing, known for reaching the semifinals at IEM Cologne 2024 with SAW, are also rumored to join. Should these moves materialize, NiP would begin the 2025 season with a zero Valve ranking due to the absence of a retained core.
This new chapter for NiP would also mark the end of an era for Fredrik “REZ” Sterner, a cornerstone of the team since 2017, who became the face of the organization after the departures of Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg and Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund.
NiP representatives remain cautious, stating they are evaluating multiple player combinations but have yet to finalize the lineup. The potential roster for 2025 includes Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, Rasmus “sjuush” Beck, Michel “ewjerkz” Magalhães, Rafael “arrozdoce” Wing, and Artem “r1nkle” Moroz, with Richard “Xizt” Landström expected to coach.
