Counter-Strike pro NBK retires to pursue a career in VALORANT

Nathan “NBK” Jordan Schmitt has announced his retirement from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to pursue a career in VALORANT.

The Frenchman has become known as a legend in the CS:GO scene for his time on some of the most successful European rosters. NBK is best known for his performances on G2 Esports, Team Vitality, EnVyUs and Team LDLC. In recent years, NBK has not seen much action in the CS:GO scene. He last played on OG Esports in February of 2021, before becoming inactive on the roster.

Throughout his career in both CS:GO and CS Source, NBK won multiple events under several teams. Now, the legend is hanging up his mouse and pursuing a new passion in a different title. NBK is not the first big-name from CS:GO to leave for VALORANT. Other European legends, like Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom and Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen, have also jumped ship. Additionally, professional CS:GO players from the North American scene have retired to pursue VALORANT. As the FPS continues to explode from an esports standpoint, more and more players will join NBK in retirement.

NBK searches for a team in VALORANT

The VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 3 European scene started on Monday, June 28 with the open qualifier. This means that many teams have already locked in their rosters for the first part of Challengers. However, NBK still has time to potentially find a roster after the open qualifiers conclude in July.

A new beginning. pic.twitter.com/KQdDxU7GSU

— Nathan Schmitt (@NBK) June 29, 2021

Europe exploded with various roster moves during the offseason, which saw many teams swapping players. That same sort of roster swap is sure to happen again, depending on where teams end up after the first part of Stage 3. With a legacy like NBK’s, he will surely find a VALORANT team in no time. At the time of publication, NBK has not announced a team.