Space Soldiers (esports) explained

Space Soldiers
Full Name:Space Gaming A.Ş.
Short Name:SpaceS
Founded:2014
Disbanded:October 2018
Location:Istanbul, Turkey
Ceo:Bünyamin Aydın
Coach:Canpolat "hardstyle" Yıldıran
Captain:Engin "MAJ3R" Küpeli
Main Sponsor:ByNoGame.com
Sport:CS:GO
FIFA 17
Colours:Yellow and Black

Space Soldiers was a Turkish professional esports organization founded in 2014 by Bünyamin Aydın. The organization consisted of a division and a FIFA division, the former of which also had an academy team.

The Counter-Strike team was created in January 2015. It had minor roster changes in early 2016. The team attended two Major championships, and . They also finished 2nd in WESG 2017.

The organization ceased operations on 13 October 2018 after it controversially parted ways with its Counter-Strike team.

History

In 2014, the organization was founded as Space Gaming A.Ş. by Turkish investor Bünyamin Aydın.[1]

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Space Soldiers announced its CS:GO team on 17 January 2015, consisting of Emre "⁠e1⁠" Biçer, Ismailcan "⁠XANTARES⁠" Dörtkardeş, Cihan "⁠ONLY⁠" Gönek, Tugay "⁠TuGuX⁠" Keskin and Çağatay "⁠DESPE⁠" Sedef.[2] The first roster change came in January 2016, when ⁠e1 was dropped in favour of Engin "⁠ngiN⁠" Kor.[3] Ahmet "⁠paz⁠" Karahoca made his debut with Space Soldiers on 18 February.[4] A month later, Space Soldiers reached the semi-finals of Copenhagen Games 2016.[5]

On 15 November 2016, the team released TuGuX.[6] He was replaced by Engin "MAJ3R" Küpeli, who joined on trial on 26 November.[7] He was officially signed to the team on 8 February 2017.[8] On 13 February, Space Soldiers signed Buğra "⁠Calyx⁠" Arkın to create a six-man roster.[9] In September 2017, Space Soldiers won the GeForce Cup 2017.[10] During the same month, the team qualified for ESL One Cologne 2017.[11] The team went against SK Gaming, the number 1 ranked team at the time, in the first match, and won the game 16–14.[12] The team lost the other three games, finishing the tournament in 12-14th.[13]

In January 2018, Space Soldiers became the first Turkish team to qualify for a Major by securing a spot in the after defeating AVANGAR, Misfits Gaming and mousesports in the Challengers stage.[14] This meant that the team and players also got in-game stickers of themselves.[15] The team beat the eventual champions Cloud9 during their second game in the Major,[16] but later lost to mousesports and was eliminated without making it to the play-offs.[17] The team reached the grand final of WESG 2017 after beating GODSENT and Team Russia in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.[18] In the grand-final, Space Soldiers faced Fnatic, and were ahead 14–7 on the final map, but lost 14–16 after a comeback.[19]

In March 2018, Space Soldiers was ranked as the 12th best team by HLTV's weekly updated rankings.[20] In June, the team won DreamHack Open Austin 2018 after beating Rogue in 2–1 the final.[21] ngiN failed to get a visa in time for the FACEIT Major: London in September, which meant that coach Canpolat "hardstyle" Yıldıran had to play instead of him.[22] The team lost all three matches they played in the main qualifier.[23]

Space Soldiers was invited to BLAST Pro Series Istanbul which took place on 28–29 September 2018.[24] The team finished the tournament in 4th in front of home crowd.[25] On 13 October 2018, it was announced that the organization parted ways with its CS:GO players.[26] The decision to separate was made a month prior, on 15 September.[27]

FIFA

The organization had Emre "Riv9" Kayır under contract, who participated in World Cup qualifiers in December 2017.[28] In March 2018, he went to Barcelona to participate in the FUT 18 Champions Cup.[29]

Achievements

In the last 3 years of existence, the team has stayed with the same core players, with the following achievements:

TournamentTierPlacement
DreamHack Austin 2018A-Tier1st
ESL Pro League Season 7 EuropeS-Tier5th
WESG 2017S-Tier2nd
ELEAGUE Major 2018 European MinorA-Tier1st
ESEA MDL Season 25 Global ChallengeA-Tier1st
GeForce Cup 2017B-Tier1st
WESG 2016S-Tier4th
WESG Middle East Championship 2016B-Tier1st
ASUS Rog Summer 2016B-Tier1st
Copenhagen Games 2016A-Tier3rd-4th

Controversies

ESL ban

In September 2017, Space Soldiers' 6th and reserve player, Çağatay "DESPE" Sedef got banned for 2 years by ESL,[30] making him unable to stand-in in ESL tournaments in case it was needed. Space Soldiers made an announcement on Twitter, saying that they were in talk with the German organizers.[31] Eventually, the ban was lifted by ESL, saying that the ban was unwarranted.[32]

Spitting incident

On 13 June 2018, Space Soldiers played the opening match of ESL One Belo Horizonte 2018 against home heroes SK Gaming.[33] In the opening ceremony, the players passed through the fans. After the match, Engin "MAJ3R" Küpeli said on Twitter that some of the fans spat on them.[34] Players of SK Gaming responded saying that they are sorry for what happened. 2 days later at signing day, MAJ3R received a letter of apology from multiple fans.[35]

Disbanding

In May 2018, all CS:GO players changed their profile pictures on Steam to completely black, instead of the logo of Space Soldiers.[26] There were rumours about the low salaries of players long before this.[36] In September 2018, the two sides agreed to part their ways, but not before they attended a major tournament in home soil Turkey, BLAST Pro Series Istanbul, for the last time.[27] In an interview later, former Space Soldiers captain Engin "MAJ3R" Küpeli said that the organization "didn't fulfill the promises made" and that "it was run by amateurs." He added that he really liked the Aydın family, but said that they hired people who didn't have any experience in esports and that Bünyamin Aydın was busy with his clothing company.[37]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Space Soldiers – Hakkımızda. 24 January 2018. 21 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20180124135559/https://www.spacesoldiers.com/hakkimizda/. 24 January 2018. Space Soldiers.
  2. Web site: Space Soldiers go official. 17 January 2015. 21 May 2022. MIRAA. HLTV. 8 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108133812/https://www.hltv.org/news/13996/space-soldiers-go-official. live.
  3. Web site: Space Soldiers add ngiN. 5 January 2016. 21 May 2022. MIRAA. HLTV. 8 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108093945/https://www.hltv.org/news/16726/space-soldiers-add-ngin. live.
  4. Web site: Geçmişten Günümüze: paz. 19 April 2018. 21 May 2022. Ege Keser. Playerbros. 21 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220521140723/https://playerbros.com/paz-kimdir-gecmisten-gunumuze-paz/. live.
  5. Web site: HellRaisers win CPH Games. 27 March 2016. 21 May 2022. MIRAA. HLTV. 12 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220312000141/https://www.hltv.org/news/17405/hellraisers-win-cph-games. live.
  6. Web site: Space Soldiers say Goodbye to TuGuX. 15 November 2016. 21 May 2022. Connor Bradley. Dotesports. 16 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210616234412/https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/space-soldiers-say-goodbye-to-tugux-10435. live.
  7. Web site: Space Soldiers Try Out MAJ3R. 26 November 2016. 21 May 2022. H3nley. Dotesports. 12 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210612152211/https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/space-soldiers-try-out-maj3r-5303. live.
  8. Web site: MAJ3R officially joins Space Soldiers. 8 February 2017. 21 May 2022. BenjaCS. HLTV. 7 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220207190056/https://www.hltv.org/news/19818/maj3r-officially-joins-space-soldiers. live.
  9. Web site: Calyx joins Space Soldiers. 13 February 2017. 21 May 2022. Professeur. HLTV. 30 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220130224357/https://www.hltv.org/news/19833/calyx-joins-space-soldiers. live.
  10. Web site: Space Soldiers'tan bir başarı daha!. 7 September 2016. 21 May 2022. Hürriyet Sporarena. 14 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201114175316/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/sporarena/space-soldierstan-bir-basari-daha-40475657. live.
  11. Web site: Space Soldiers'tan büyük başarı!. 7 September 2016. 21 May 2022. Hürriyet Sporarena. 13 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211013194222/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/sporarena/space-soldierstan-buyuk-basari-40467133. live.
  12. Web site: Space Soldiers stun SK Gaming in ESL Cologne opening round. 4 July 2017. 21 May 2022. Callum Leslie. Dotesports. 22 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210622143203/https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/space-soldiers-sk-gaming-esl-cologne-15630. live.
  13. Web site: SK defeat Cloud9 to win ESL One Cologne. 9 July 2017. 21 May 2022. MIRAA. HLTV. 25 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211025211042/https://www.hltv.org/news/20988/sk-defeat-cloud9-to-win-esl-one-cologne. live.
  14. Web site: Soldiers hayallerine ulaştı, Türkiyeyi gururlandırdı!. 15 January 2018. 21 May 2022. Fanatik. 14 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201114113740/https://www.fanatik.com.tr/soldiers-hayallerine-ulasti-turkiye-yi-gururlandirdi-1343209. live.
  15. Web site: Space Soldiers Bir Gururu Daha Yaşattı. 25 December 2017. 21 May 2022. Fanatik. 13 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201113115411/https://www.fanatik.com.tr/space-soldiers-bir-gururu-daha-yasatti-1339222. live.
  16. Web site: Space Soldiers, Cloud9'ı devirmeyi başardı. 21 January 2018. 21 May 2022. Fanatik. 13 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201113115407/https://www.fanatik.com.tr/space-soldiers-cloud9-i-devirmeyi-basardi-1344341. live.
  17. Web site: Eline Sağlık Space Soldiers. 23 January 2018. 21 May 2022. Mert Ünal. Sporx.
  18. Web site: CS:GO WESG'te Space Soldiers ikinci oldu!. 19 March 2018. 21 May 2022. Hürriyet. 6 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210406021223/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/teknoloji/space-soldiers-ikinci-oldu-40777253. live.
  19. Web site: Space Soldiers şampiyonluğu son anda kaçırdı. 19 March 2018. 21 May 2022. Hürriyet Sporarena. 14 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201114132547/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/sporarena/space-soldiers-sampiyonlugu-son-anda-kacirdi-40776861. live.
  20. Web site: Space Soldiers büyük oynuyor. 22 March 2018. 21 May 2022. Hürriyet Sporarena. 20 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201120023012/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/sporarena/space-soldiers-buyuk-oynuyor-40780796. live.
  21. Web site: Bir Space Soldiers klasiği!. 4 June 2018. 21 May 2022. Milliyet Skorer. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729034301/http://www.milliyet.com.tr/skorer/bir-space-soldiers-klasigi-2682274. live.
  22. Web site: NgiN to Miss FACEIT London Major After Failing to Acquire a Visa. 4 September 2018. 22 May 2022. Veronika Rodriguez. DBLTAP. 13 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200613143404/https://www.dbltap.com/posts/6162417-ngin-to-miss-faceit-london-major-after-failing-to-acquire-a-visa. live.
  23. Web site: FACEIT Major 2018 yolunda üçüncü gün sonuçlandı, Space Soldiers veda etti!. 8 September 2018. 21 May 2022. Ege Keser. Playerbros. 22 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220522125500/https://playerbros.com/faceit-major-2018-eleme-space-soldiers-veda/. live.
  24. Web site: BLAST Pro Series İstanbul ile dev e-spor turnuvasında final heyecanı. 27 August 2018. 21 May 2022. Hürriyet. 28 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180828071203/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/amp/teknoloji/blast-pro-series-istanbul-ile-dev-e-spor-turnuvasinda-final-heyecani-40937852. live.
  25. Web site: BLAST Pro Series İstanbul'da şampiyon Astralis. 29 September 2018. 21 May 2022. Hürriyet Sporarena. 19 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181019170418/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/amp/sporarena/blast-pro-series-istanbulda-sampiyon-astralis-40973312. live.
  26. Web site: Space Soldiers dağıldı, detayları XANTARES paylaştı. 13 October 2018. 21 May 2022. Emre Can Kartal. Playerbros. 24 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211024153513/https://playerbros.com/space-soldiers-dagildi-detaylari-xantares-paylasti/. live.
  27. Web site: ex-Space Soldiers: "We unilaterally rescinded our contracts on September 15". 14 October 2018. 21 May 2022. BenjaCS. HLTV. 15 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200715213238/https://www.hltv.org/news/25089/ex-space-soldiers-we-unilaterally-rescinded-our-contracts-on-september-15. live.
  28. Web site: Emre Kayır Riv9dan bir ilk!. Fanatik. 2021-10-15. 2021-03-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20210330152242/https://www.fanatik.com.tr/emre-kayir-riv9-dan-bir-ilk-1335866. live.
  29. Web site: Space Soldiers Ekibinden Riv9 Barcelona Yolunda! | GameXNow.com. January 25, 2018. October 15, 2021. August 2, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180802125236/http://www.gamexnow.com/space-soldiers-ekibinden-riv9-barcelona-yolunda/. live.
  30. Web site: Space Soldiers comment on DESPE's ESL ban. HLTV.org. 2020-08-12. 2020-08-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20200828105211/https://www.hltv.org/news/21559/space-soldiers-comment-on-despes-esl-ban. live.
  31. 910787125368549381. SpaceSoldiersTR. We are in touch with the ESL about the false accusation towards our club and our player "DESPE", who allegedly violated ESL rules. . 21 September 2017.
  32. Web site: DESPE ban lifted by ESL. HLTV.org. 2020-08-12. 2020-11-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20201112041222/https://www.hltv.org/news/21596/despe-ban-lifted-by-esl. live.
  33. Web site: HLTV.org - The home of competitive Counter-Strike. HLTV.org. 2020-09-08. 2020-11-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20201118230311/https://www.hltv.org/matches/2323779/space-soldiers-vs-sk-esl-one-belo-horizonte-2018. live.
  34. 1007691821470900224. Maj3r_. I let him my team down on d2 but seriously that was the first time in my career since 1,6 i feel new emotion my god… . 15 June 2018.
  35. Web site: MAJ3R Receives Apology Letter From Brazilian Fans After Spitting Incident at ESL One Belo Horizonte. June 17, 2018. dbltap.com. September 8, 2020. November 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020502/https://www.dbltap.com/posts/6092560-maj3r-receives-apology-letter-from-brazilian-fans-after-spitting-incident-at-esl-one-belo-horizonte. live.
  36. Web site: Space Soldiers CS:GO Takımı Neden Dağıldı?. October 15, 2018. October 15, 2021. January 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210123101002/https://medyaespor.com/space-soldiers-csgo-takimi-neden-ayrildi. live.
  37. Web site: Maj3r: "Space Soldiers verdiği sözleri tutmadı". Burak. Kaya. July 28, 2019. August 12, 2020. May 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210515135657/https://gamerbase.org/maj3r-roportaj/. live.

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