It is no secret that Evil Geniuses (EG) is one of the most popular esports organizations in the Dota 2 community. Not only known for housing some of the best players but it also won The International 2015. That is why fans were shocked when the organization announced it would be changing its lineup.
EG had a star-studded lineup composed of members Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, Abed “Abed” Yusop, Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko, Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen, and Tal “Fly” Aizik. Unfortunately, this lineup no longer exists as all five members decided to part ways with the organization – a move seen as one of the biggest roster shuffles in the history of Dota 2.
Many believed that the result of the last season’s performance possibly influenced the decision, especially since the five members (or even the organization) did not provide any details about the exit. That situation is no longer unknown though as Cr1t- himself revealed the reason behind their exodus.
The Dota 2 pro player unveiled that the move had something to do with their salaries. EG was actually unwilling to pay the salaries that the organization and the members agreed on. Instead, the organization was pushing to lower the salaries of the roster. Obviously, this may sound like it left a bad taste but it actually did not.
Cr1t clarified that despite parting ways with the Dota 2 team, there were no hard feelings involved between them and the management; everyone took it professionally.
“The reason why we are not with EG is because they didn’t want to pay our salaries,” Cr1t said. “EG just wanted a cheap roster and wanted to play like – that’s fair.”
The Dota 2 player added that they were “overpaid,” too, by the organization in the past. “EG always took good care of us,” he added.
As a matter of fact, EG also continued supporting all five Dota 2 pro players during the COVID-19 onslaught. According to Cr1t, when they were having a hard time competing because of the pandemic, EG still paid their salaries. It is worth noting too, that during this time, many esports teams did not opt to pay their players.
Cr1t became an integral member of the EG in the last six years. Not only was he there during the Dota 2 team’s ups and downs but he also played a significant role in the team’s rotation. He has now joined the Shopify Rebellion with his other former teammates, with Nightfall being the exception. Shopify Rebellion is slated to play in North America’s Division One Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2023.
