Counter Strike 1.6 and CS:GO legend Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas has announced his retirement from the competitive CS on March 31.
The 36-year-old veteran posted on his social media accounts a picture of him in a shirt with “that’s all folks” written on it, while also adding in the caption that he ends his career in CS. “I retire. See you around,” TaZ said.
Few Counter-Strike players have had such a rich career as TaZ. The Pole played in the competitive scene since the beginning of the 21st century, with teams like SpHeRe back in 2001 and Aristocracy in 2003 serving as his home during his early years. He became one of the most well-known CS players during his time with ESC Gaming and Virtus Pro, with whom he won numerous trophies, including EMS One: Katowice 2014, his first and only CS:GO Major.
TaZ was also a part of Golden Five, a group of Polish players who dominated the CS 1.6 scene for a few years. Filip “NEO” Kubski and Łukasz “LUq” Wnęk were some of the players who created the squad with Wojtas.
The news of TaZ’s retirement comes shortly after he and NEO announced the shutdown of their esports organization and CS:GO team, HONORIS, which ceased to operate on March 29. Both players stated that the org lacked the finances to continue operating, and both of them often had to pay for different expenses out of their pockets.
TaZ will definitely remain a CS legend. He and the rest of Virtus Pro roster were the strongest Polish team in the CS:GO scene since it began in 2012 until early 2018 when TaZ was benched. The lineup, which also consisted of other Polish veterans like Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski and Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski, triumphed in several important tournaments, like ELEAGUE Season 1 or DreamHack Masters Las Vegas 2017.
In the eyes of many, TaZ was a key person in laying the foundations for the Counter-Strike scene, and his influence on its growth is seen as priceless.
