Thomas steps down from Into the Breach

The Major quarter-finalists now have just two members left from their surprise run in Paris.

Thomas "⁠Thomas⁠" Utting is no longer a part of Into the Breach's starting roster and has taken a step back as he looks to focus on himself, his performance, and his approach to the game, it has been announced.

The British in-game leader's move to the bench leaves Into the Breach with just two members, Karol "⁠rallen⁠" Rodowicz and Joey "⁠CRUC1AL⁠" Steusel, remaining from the organization's Cinderella run to the BLAST.tv Paris Major quarter-finals.

Sebastian "⁠volt⁠" Maloș and Cai "⁠CYPHER⁠" Watson both departed the lineup at the start of July, the former joining GamerLegion and the latter recently being unveiled as a part of TSM's new lineup. The team's coach during their Major run, Gustavo "⁠Juve⁠" Alexandre, was also benched by mutual agreement in August.

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"This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my career, but I will be temporarily stepping back from the starting roster," Thomas said in a statement. "[It was] a difficult decision but something I thought was necessary to do before CS2 is released," he added on Twitter.

Thomas led Into the Breach in their recent Major run, but the team wasn't able to elevate their level much further after the Parisian event. They won ESL Premiership Spring 2023 and beat a handful of notable names including Ninjas in Pyjamas, paiN, and 00NATION before the tournament break, but have struggled for results after making changes as they exited the IEM Cologne Play-in stage in last place and missed out on making IEM Sydney following a loss to BetBoom.

"Our run at the Paris Major has defined our growth, but I don’t think it was something anyone expected or was prepared for," Into the Breach CEO Sam "SlayTheMinotaur" Macedonio said in the team's statement.

"It’s had a hugely beneficial effect but has also been a difficult adaptation for many of our people. Cai and Volt were bought out and move onwards and upwards, Juve has struggled and taken steps back for himself, and now Thomas follows suit.

"We can only try to do what’s best for our players, long-term growth, and support for those still with us – alongside the two new players joining us in the next few days. Thomas won’t be leaving us but his role within ITB needs to be redefined for everyone’s benefit."

He added that Into the Breach will make their first roster announcement on September 3, with a second player to follow the next day. The team has most recently been using Kévin "⁠misutaaa⁠" Rabier as a replacement for Adam "⁠NEOFRAG⁠" Zouhar, whose contract they terminated due to "comments and perspectives displayed which do not align with our attitudes regarding inclusivity and equality." Into the Breach now also needs to find an in-game leader to replace Thomas.

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Into the Breach currently have:

Karol "⁠rallen⁠" Rodowicz
Joey "⁠CRUC1AL⁠" Steusel
Aurimas "⁠Bymas⁠" Pipiras

Martin "⁠trace⁠" Heldt (coach)

Thomas "⁠Thomas⁠" Utting (benched)
Gustavo "⁠Juve⁠" Alexandre (benched)