G2 Esports Sign NiKo from FaZe Clan

In what has already been dubbed the biggest move in CS:GO history, G2 Esports have announced the signing of Nikola “NiKo” Kovac from Faze Clan. The Bosnian superstar will team up with Nemanja “huNter” Kovac as a result, with a debut at the upcoming BLAST Premier Fall Series appearing likely.

NiKo arrived at FaZe Clan at the beginning of 2017, having made a name for himself as the main carry for mousesports. Announcing his latest news on Twitter, the rifler could hardly contain his delight at joining G2. Rumors of such a move first began back in September, however G2 owner Carlos “ocelote” Rodriguez appeared to pour cold water on any potential deal by stating: “Stop with the Niko messages. We aren’t getting him.”

Why the Arrival of NiKo is Such Big News

As a result, the official announcement of NiKo’s arrival at G2 will have come as a surprise to many within the CS:GO scene, which his new team themselves called the “biggest CS:GO signing in history”. While the finances surrounding the deal have not been unveiled, with his move to FaZe Clan back in 2017 having been worth some $500,000, G2 are likely to have paid significantly more to acquire his services.

NiKo spent three years at FaZe, winning the Intel Extreme Masters XV New York recently, which turned out to be the Bosnian’s last outing for the organization. Speaking on the move, NiKo has the following to say: “It was a wild run with a lot of ups and downs, so many good memories that I will cherish forever, it sucks that we couldn’t bring a major trophy to such a legendary organization, but no one regrets it and is hurt more than me.”

What Role Will NiKo Perform for G2?

NiKo became in-game leader at FaZe in 2018, and while some questioned whether this would impact upon his performances, the team did continue to record good results. However, NiKo is likely to operate under the guidance of G2 in-game leader Nemanja “nexa” Isakovic, although it remains to be seen as to who he will be replacing in the starting lineup. In fact, it would appear that G2 could well have a 6-man roster for the foreseeable future, with the organization having issued the following statement:

“Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be evaluating the team, and it’s progress to determine the optimal line-up for each match. We will provide more information on this in the coming days.”