North American-based esports organisation Cloud9 will become a BLAST Premier Member Team for the 2024 season after acquiring the slot owned by Evil Geniuses, following a competitive bidding process.
Founded in 2013, Cloud9 is a world-renowned esports organisation based out of Los Angeles, California, United States and is currently ranked 11th in the world in Counter-Strike.
Dating back to 2014, Cloud9 have had a long-standing presence in Counter-Strike with many remembering Cloud9’s underdog victory at ELEAGUE Boston 2018 and were a regular presence in the BLAST Pro Series events between 2017-2019. Rejoining the scene in 2022, Cloud9’s new Counter-Strike roster has made strong progress in the North American scene, most recently having success at IEM Rio, IEM Dallas, and BLAST Premier Fall Final Copenhagen.
A competitive bidding process was undertaken after Evil Geniuses decided to sell their Member Team slot, having featured in BLAST Premier’s global tournament circuit since its inception in February 2020.
Andrew Haworth, Programme Director for BLAST Premier, said: “We are delighted to add Cloud9 to our stable of world-leading esports organisations for the 2024 BLAST Premier season in what is shaping up to be an exciting year with arena events set for London and Copenhagen. Cloud9 has an illustrious history in Counter-Strike and will bring a lot to the tournaments with their addition for the upcoming season. We thank Evil Geniuses for their support and participation over the last three years and wish them all the best in the future. The competitive bidding process undertaken further highlights the growth and development BLAST Premier has enjoyed year-on-on-year.”
Jack Etienne, Co-Founder and CEO of Cloud9, said: “I am thrilled to announce Cloud9’s participation in BLAST Premier. Joining this prestigious league reflects our commitment to excellence and competitiveness on a global stage. We look forward to showcasing the skill and determination of our talented players as we continue our CS2 journey with BLAST Premier.”
Chris DeAppolonio, CEO for EG, said: “Since its inaugural season, Evil Geniuses has supported and participated in BLAST Premier as part of our commitment to the NA Counter-Strike scene. While we will no longer participate in Premier going forward, we are thankful for the three years we competed and look forward to supporting NA Counter-Strike talent within the league from afar.”
BLAST Premier Member Teams: Astralis, NIP, G2 Esports, OG, Team Vitality, NAVI, FaZe Clan, Complexity, Team Liquid, Heroic, Cloud9 and BIG.