"This was very unexpected news for me". seized announces his departure from 9 Pandas

Russian esports athlete Denis "seized" Kostin announced his departure from 9 Pandas' active Counter-Strike 2 roster – the organization benched him. Kostin himself revealed this via his Telegram channel.

This was very unexpected news for me and it is hard to comprehend it, because this organization became a second home for me, while the team – a family. <...> We all went through an unreal path together, fulfilled the tasks that we set for ourselves: top 30 in the world, qualification for the Major. On my part everything was done as promised.

seized also added that he feels like he has what it takes to continue his career in Counter-Strike as a player and IGL, but is ready to consider any offers that come his way.

Honestly, I feel as empty as possible, tired both physically and mentally. So I'm taking a break for a couple of months to rest, come to my senses, be alone with myself and understand what I want next. Of course, I'm considering all offers that I may receive for different roles: player, coach, media, and so on. But inside I feel that I can still provide a huge impact for the team as a player, as an IGL. Therefore, of course, I would like to continue competing, but considering my age and the general situation, I will look into all options and make some decision.

Kostin has represented 9 Pandas since July of 2022. The Russian's latest success on the 9 Pandas roster was the victory at the recent online tournament CCT Season 2 Europe Series 3.

It is still unclear who will take the vacant position in the starting five. Note that Andrey "XomA" Mironenko also departed the team along with seized – he took over as the new coach of Virtus.pro.

 9 Pandas are now:

 Daniil "d1Ledez" Kustov
 Timur "clax" Sabirov
 Artyom "iDISBALANCE" Egorov
 Aleksandr "glowiing" Matsiyevich

Origin: t.me