Gentle Mates exit CS; FaZe target AWPer MartinezSa

Gentle Mates have shut down their Counter‑Strike division. Co‑founder Corentin «Gotaga» Houssein broke the news right after the team’s final match of the season, explaining that the organisation could no longer justify the spending needed to stay competitive in CS2. “It’s just too expensive for us right now,” Gotaga said, pointing to the steep costs of running a tier‑one roster.

The departure was first leaked a few hours earlier by French insider Sébastien «KRL» Perez, who also reported that Spanish organisations Heretics, KOI, and GIANTX are circling the now‑available squad. Gentle Mates’ CS venture started in 2023 with a blend of young French and Spanish talent and briefly broke into the VRS global top 20 earlier this year. But the team never managed to hold that momentum. A string of missed opportunities — including failure to qualify for the IEM Cologne Major and early exits at IEM Rio and PGL Astana — combined with inconsistent online form pushed them out of tier‑one invite range.

Gentle Mates step away from Counter‑Strike

Gotaga made it clear that the decision came down to finances. Unlike the organisation’s Call of Duty and VALORANT rosters, which operate inside partner leagues, the CS2 team required heavy investment just to stay in the conversation for top events. “We are used to partner‑league models, and Counter‑Strike is a completely different beast,” Gotaga said. The roster built around AWPer Antonio «MartinezSa» Martinez showed flashes of potential — including a notable online win over ENCE — but without deep LAN runs, the project never became sustainable.

FaZe reportedly interested in MartinezSa

While several Spanish organisations are evaluating a full pickup of the Gentle Mates core, one player has drawn interest from an established powerhouse. According to KRL and HLTV, FaZe have set their sights on MartinezSa. The report states that FaZe have not made a final decision on which player or players would be moved, but the interest in the Spanish AWPer is concrete. FaZe’s current lineup features the legendary AWPer broky, so any addition of MartinezSa would likely either signal a role shift or a broader roster shake‑up after a season that saw FaZe struggle to maintain top‑three consistency internationally.

• Gentle Mates exited Counter‑Strike after Gotaga announced the decision following their final match of the season.
• Heretics, KOI, and GIANTX are reportedly interested in acquiring the roster.
• The team briefly sat in the VRS global top 20 but failed to qualify for IEM Cologne and missed playoffs at IEM Rio and PGL Astana.
• FaZe are targeting AWPer MartinezSa, though a final decision on which players to replace has not been made.

What’s next for the Gentle Mates core?

The four players left behind — riflers and support — now wait for one of the three Spanish suitors to formalise an offer. If FaZe sign MartinezSa, the remaining trio would likely serve as the foundation of a new project under a different banner. The off‑season transfer window is already open, and the market for the Gentle Mates pieces is expected to move quickly.

No official offers have been announced yet, but the next few weeks will determine whether MartinezSa ends up wearing black and red or stays part of a Spanish‑led revival.