You won’t easily forget the name Ninjas In Pyjamas. The team has been in business since 2000 when Tommy Ingemarsson, better known in the gaming world as Potti, teamed up with Tootsi to start a clan that was LAN based. They have since gone on to make a name for themselves in esports, specifically as Counter-Strike players.Though the team is based in Sweden, their offices span the globe.
Team Roster
The current roster for Ninjas in Pyjamas includes two female and six male players, all of whom fill a different role on the team. Doing double duty as a board member is team CEO Hicham Chahine. Michael Tideback serves as the official Head of Partnerships.
The Senior Communications Manager and Senior Vice Producer, respectively, are Petter Nilsson, and Patrick Strack. Rounding out the team is graphic designer Simon Bjorck, Warehouse & Logistics Manager Kevin Liddell, and respectively, Merchandise Manager and Office Manager Laura Rojas Uribe, and Rebecka Bjurgard. They also have a member, Robin Jedhammar, that serves as their CS:GO manager.
The Rise To Fame
While some esports teams simply concentrate on the game(s) they are the best at, Ninjas in Pyjamas is also known for Xtrfy, the team’s exclusive company for peripheral gaming. It is now one of the top hardware companies in the industry. But that wasn’t enough of an achievement for them, so they helped found the World Esports Association.
Potti would transfer the founders position to Emil Christenson, better known as “HeatoN.” He went on to make history by becoming a member of the Esports Hall of Fame, an honor he was awarded in 2016. The award was presented to him, by Potti, as part of the ESL One Finals held in Cologne.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
The rise to fame wasn’t immediate for Ninjas in Pyjamas. The team rebranded twice before embarking on the Counter-Strike franchise that would send them careening into the spotlight. Between 2013 and 2014 they were an unstoppable force, winning multiple championship tournaments. Before CS:GO was what it is today, the team was already gaining fame for their superior skills.
One of the reasons the team has been credited with so much success is that their roster for CS:GO consists of players that jumped over from the Fnatic team.
Dota 2
CS:GO wasn’t the only game the team found success at. They became fierce competitors in Dota 2 in 2015 and went on to resurface in 2018 with an improved roster that embraced Dota 2 with everything it had. The team went on to successfully compete in the OGA DOTA PIT and the ImbaTV Minor seasons.
Valorant
With the release of Valorant, Ninjas in Pyjamas is wasting no time throwing their hat into the ring. To get started, the team reignited their former Paladin players, because that game was similar in nature to Valorant. They were hoping to use their experience to get more wins under their belt. Though it is too soon to know when the first Valorant championships will be, Ninjas in Pyjamas is ready and waiting to compete. They are one the first teams in the industry to show a real interest in this game.
Looking To The Future
The team roster has changed more than once over the years, so it’s anyone’s guess what the future holds for Ninjas in Pyjamas. What we can say about them is that they aren’t afraid to face new challenges head on. With expertise in so many games the team has a lot of potential.
