A chapter comes to a close for Ninjas in Pyjamas. According to sources from Sheep Esports, Fredrik “REZ” Sterner has parted ways with the team after a seven-and-a-half-year tenure to join GamerLegion. The 26-year-old Swedish AWPer has signed with the German organization, which also announced on Wednesday the addition of young Czech talent Oldřich “PR” Nový. REZ has been recruited to replace Timur “FL4MUS” Maryev, who transitioned to Virtus.pro on December 29. As a result, GamerLegion will need to remove another player to integrate PR into its starting Counter Strike 2 lineup.

Three Major's quarterfinals

Despite his extensive time with NiP, REZ has secured only a handful of S-Tier tournament victories. Upon his debut in 2017, he clinched the Intel Extreme Masters XII - Oakland title and was named MVP of the competition by our HLTV colleagues. However, he endured a six-season drought before claiming another S-Tier victory at the BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023. Throughout his career, REZ reached the quarterfinals of a Major on three occasions—Katowice 2019, Stockholm 2021, and Antwerp 2022—but never advanced to the semifinals. NiP's struggles continued in 2024, as the team failed to qualify for the Main Event at both Majors, held in Copenhagen and Shanghai.

GamerLegion, by contrast, participated in both 2024 Majors, albeit without progressing to the playoffs. The team's 2024 campaign was markedly less successful than its remarkable 2023 season, which included quarterfinal finishes at the Katowice IEM and Gamers8, and above all a runner-up performance at the Paris Major. In that event, GamerLegion fell to Vitality, who triumphed in front of their home crowd. This past season, however, GamerLegion hasn't delivered any significant results at premier events.