ENCE to File for Bankruptcy After 13 Years in Esports

Finnish esports organisation ENCE is filing for bankruptcy after 13 years. The board of ENCE eSports Oy confirmed the decision on October 26, 2026, leaving its CS2 roster without an organisation and its players’ futures unclear.

In a farewell message titled “The End of an Era”, ENCE said its board had “made the difficult decision to file for bankruptcy”. It thanked players, staff, partners and fans but gave no financial figures or single reason for the decision. It also did not explain what will happen to player contracts or the ENCE brand.

A difficult year for the CS2 project

ENCE had already made major changes to its Counter-Strike operation in 2026. In March, it benched its entire international CS2 roster and coaching staff, saying it had become too difficult for a club of its size to compete at the top of international Counter-Strike. It planned to rebuild around Finnish players.

The club promoted its academy roster to the interim main team in April and put the academy programme on hiatus. Aleksi “allu” Jalli, who first played for ENCE in 2013, returned as head coach in June. Following the bankruptcy announcement, he wrote “Heartbroken” and said he would share more about himself and the team once things settled.

Long-time CEO Mika Kuusisto stepped down in mid-2026 after more than seven years in charge; reports at the time linked his departure to a financial restructuring. ENCE reportedly moved its CS2 players onto long-term contracts in September. None of those developments has been identified by the club as the cause of its bankruptcy filing.

From a Major final to a 2023 title

Founded in 2013, ENCE reached the IEM Katowice Major final in 2019 with an all-Finnish lineup led by Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen. The team beat Team Liquid and Natus Vincere in the playoffs before losing the final 2-0 to Astralis. ENCE also won BLAST Pro Series Madrid that year.

An international lineup led by Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer later won IEM Dallas 2023 over MOUZ and reached the finals of IEM Cologne and Gamers8 that summer. The roster’s core was sold to Team Falcons in December 2023. ENCE has not played an HLTV top-tier, MVP-awarding event since September 2024.

Beyond Counter-Strike, Joona “Serral” Sotala became the first non-Korean StarCraft II world champion in 2018 while playing for ENCE. He later left the club after seven years.

What happens next for the players

ENCE has not announced what will happen to its CS2 players. Its roster stands 103rd on Valve’s regional standings, and four of its five players are teenagers.

The club has given no timetable for resolving their contracts or the future of its brand. For now, any move to another team remains unconfirmed until the players or a new organisation announce it.