HUNDEN retires as a pro CS:GO player to become Heroic’s head coach

Danish in-game leader HUNDEN has decided to hang up his mouse and keyboard, he announced today.

The 28-year-old has had an extensive pro career since he started in Counter-Strike: Source in 2009. HUNDEN transitioned to CS:GO in 2012 and represented several Danish teams, such as Copenhagen Wolves, SK Gaming, Tricked Esports, and MAD Lions.

“I have decided to retire as a CS player. News coming up soon,” HUNDEN said on Twitter. A few minutes later, Heroic announced him as its new CS:GO head coach.

HUNDEN has taken over a role that he wanted for a long time, according to Heroic. “When I was offered the chance to coach such a talented team, it was easy for me to finally make up my mind,” HUNDEN said.

The 28-year-old may play a key role in Heroic’s reconstruction after the roster’s sale to FunPlus Phoenix fell apart due to Patrick “es3tag” Hansen’s agreement to join Astralis in July. Over the years, many CS:GO analysts have said that HUNDEN would be a great coach since he scouted many Danish players during his career.

As a pro, HUNDEN was part of the Tricked lineup that won the V4 Future Sports Festival Budapest in September 2019, upsetting teams such as MIBR and Virtus Pro. That roster was sold to MAD Lions in December 2019 and HUNDEN lead the team to a solid top-15 spot on HLTV’s world rankings.

HUNDEN, however, was benched from MAD Lions in March due to internal issues when the team was about to play in Flashpoint season one. It was initially hinted that he would take on a managerial role within MAD Lions, but he’s now a part of Heroic.

Heroic will make its debut with HUNDEN, niko, and TeSeS at the Elisa Invitational, a Nordic tournament that will kick off on Friday, May 1.