SPUNJ retires from CS:GO

Following speculation in certain corners of the scene in the past weeks, Renegades captain Chad "⁠SPUNJ⁠" Burchill has officially announced his retirement from professional CS:GO after a storied history that dates back to the early days of the game and beyond.

Beginning with an appearance for Vox Eminor at the MSI Beat It! 2013 finals, SPUNJ debuted in successive Australian Vox Eminor lineups that attended Majors throughout 2014 and 2015: EMS One Katowice, ESL One Cologne 2014, and ESL One Katowice 2015.

SPUNJ led Australian teams in multiple Major outings in 2014 & 2015

Constant appearances and a roster with experience meant the attention of a (then big) organisation such as Renegades, who signed the ex-Vox Eminor team and under whose banner the Renegades had a 9-12th place finish at ESL One Cologne 2015 (where they famously knocked out Titan in the group stages).

The team soon moved to the Downtown Grand in Las Vegas and prepared for integration into the North American scene. However, a number of crushing losses at tournaments such as the iBUYPOWER Cup, a few internet spats, and two failed Major qualification campaigns (as well as ESL Pro League near misses) clearly took their toll on SPUNJ, whose performance took a hit in the recent months.

As captain, Burchill took heavy portion of the blame for the team's recent slip-ups

Despite his retirement, the 26-year-old Australian did mention that he will endeavour to continue working in the esports industry and continuing his work in the space on which he has left a mark, particularly for the Oceania scene.

I have decided to hang up the mouse and retire from professional CSGO! Big thank you to everyone who (cont) https://t.co/UhNwv7R6Qy

— Chad Burchill (@SPUNJ) June 17, 2016

stich writes for HLTV.org and can be found on Twitter