CS2 superstar NiKo has declined an offer from the Saudi organization Falcons and has confirmed his commitment to G2, as revealed on November 6. This development comes as a surprise, given that Falcons had reportedly agreed to pay a substantial amount, measured in millions, for NiKo’s buyout clause, and the transfer was considered a done deal.
Since joining G2 in October 2020, NiKo has been the central figure in G2’s Counter-Strike esports efforts. Together, NiKo and G2 have secured significant CS:GO tournament victories, including the BLAST Premier World Final in December 2022, IEM Katowice in February 2023, and IEM Cologne in August 2023.
Falcons had targeted NiKo as part of its extensive roster overhaul, led by renowned coach zonic. Earlier this month, the Saudi organization benched four players and had plans to form a roster for 2024 that included Magisk, Snappi, and notably, NiKo. However, with the Bosnian superstar’s decision to remain with G2, Falcons will need to seek out another star rifler.
G2’s general manager, Petar “peca” Marković, addressed the situation in an interview with HLTV on November 6, stating that they are pleased to put an end to all the rumors, speculation, and gossip. He also emphasized NiKo’s unique role within the team and the agreement reached for him to continue with G2.
Falcons had also reportedly shown interest in G2’s young AWPer, m0NESY, but peca stated on October 29 that G2 has no intention of selling the Russian star at any price. According to a report from 1pv.fr on November 6, the Saudi organization is currently pursuing ENCE’s sniper SunPayus and Cloud9’s benched star, sh1ro.
With NiKo reaffirming his commitment to G2, the team can now concentrate on their preparations for upcoming CS2 tournaments.