End of an era. HYENAS player Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye, retires from CS:GO. While playing in Astralis, he became the youngest MVP in ELEAGUE Major 2017. In 2016 and 2017, he was known to be one of the best players in CS:GO history.
His big “turning point” happened when he left the Astralis for the Danish team, North in 2018. Unfortunately for the Kjaerbye, North couldn’t exceed the expectations of its fans and the players themselves. Kjaerbye’s health issues and coach problems also had a big impact on his retirement choice. The team’s single maybe the biggest achievement was winning the DreamHack Masters Stockholm 2018. After that, FaZe Clan signed Kjærbye, replacing the young Aurimas “Bymas” Pipiras. Sadly, he was benched due to the factor showing non-satisfactory results. Lastly, he, Philip “aizy” Aistrup and Nicklas “gade” Gade tried their luck in another Danish team, HYENAS. But in the end, that too didn’t work out for them.
The time has come for me to say goodbye to gaming as a professional Counter-Strike player. It is with a heavy heart, I am writing this, but as of right now, I have no longer the hunter and determination it requires to compete on top level. This game has been a huge part of my life for the past 10 years, and I feel this is the time for me to look for new horizons and opportunities. Future work can be both inside and outside the game. Time will tell.
It has been a fantastic rollercoaster ride, which has given me way more, than I have ever imagined when I started playing video games. To this day a big part of this adventure still feels surreal. As every other career it has brought many ups and downs – they have all made me stronger, and ultimately in many ways also shaped me into the person I am today.
I want to thank the organizations, that picked me up and believed in me. Thanks to every colleague and teammate, with whom I have travelled all over the world – it has been a blast! And a big hug goes out to all my fans, family and friends, who followed me in good as well as bad times.
Thanks for everything guys!
Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye
