Less than a day after NBK announced his retirement to switch to playing VALORANT, last night Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye, the 23-year-old player currently sitting on the bench of FaZe Clan, also announced his departure from professional gaming. In a statement posted on his personal Twitter, he shared that the reason for this sudden decision was due to his lack of motivation and determination to continue competing.
“I have decided to retire from the professional CS scene. Although it is very sad, at this moment, I no longer have the motivation and determination to compete at the highest level. CS has been an inseparable part of my life for the past 10 years, and I feel it is time for me to seek new opportunities.” – Kjaerbye
This truly marks a sad ending for the Danish player, who is just 23 years old and was once considered one of the brightest young talents in the Danish CS scene. Born and raised in a country with a thriving Esports scene that has developed many CS talents in the past, Kjaerbye began his professional career at the age of 16. After a few months with less-known teams, Kjaerbye’s career took a new turn in October 2014 when he joined Copenhagen Wolves. His outstanding performance caught the attention of many prestigious teams, and by May 2016, he officially joined Astralis.
In his new jersey, Kjaerbye quickly became one of the most promising talents in the world with an extremely impressive performance. Entering the ELEAGUE Major 2017, Astralis was considered one of the contenders for the prestigious Major championship and did not disappoint fans. Kjaerbye and his teammates defeated heavyweight opponents such as G2 Esports, Na`vi, and Fnatic to reach the grand final against Virtus.Pro, who were at their peak. Here, the two teams created one of the most thrilling Major finals in CS:GO history, filled with all sorts of emotions. On map 3 de_Train, despite trailing 7-13 and playing on the T-side, Kjaerbye shone just in time to help the Danes come back successfully with a score of 16-14, ultimately winning 2-1 and lifting the prestigious Major championship trophy.
With his outstanding performance, Kjaerbye was awarded the tournament MVP title at just 18 years old, making him the youngest player to receive this honor in CS:GO history.
However, Kjaerbye’s beautiful days in the Astralis jersey gradually came to an end as throughout 2017, the performance of this Danish team fell sharply. What had to happen eventually happened; in February 2018, Kjaerbye unexpectedly left Astralis to join North. It was hoped that in his new jersey, Kjaerbye would regain his form and continue to conquer new heights, but personnel changes and conflicts in playstyle caused North to sink deeper into a crisis, while Astralis, with the addition of Magisk, became a powerhouse, destroying every opponent they faced and ushering in a new era for themselves. During more than 2 years playing for North, the only significant title Kjaerbye achieved was the DreamHack Masters Stockholm championship, and by August 2020, he officially left North to join the cosmic FaZe Clan.
However, misfortune still did not leave Kjaerbye when less than two weeks after he joined FaZe, the team’s star NIKo unexpectedly left to play for G2 Esports along with his cousin huNter-. Continuous personnel changes and the absence of a captain prevented FaZe Clan from having a stable lineup; one IEM New York 2020 championship was not enough, and by the end of January 2021, Kjaerbye was moved to the bench to make way for Canadian star Twistzz. Since then, Kjaerbye has played with two former teammates from North, aizy and gade, in the new team HYENAS, but has not achieved any notable results.