After a tumultuous 2022, Ninjas in Pyjamas have taken the call to shake up their CS:GO roster. Patrick ‘es3tag’ Hansen has found himself benched after an extensive journey with Ninjas in Pyjamas. The 27-year-old rifler spent 399 days on the roster before being benched. The primarily Swedish squad faced many trials after Device went absent for almost the entire year. Now, the other Dane has parted ways with the active roster amidst a rebuild.

es3tag is no longer on Ninjas in Pyjamas CS:GO active roster

Taking to Twitter, the official Ninjas in Pyjamas handle put out the following statement:

“In preparation of the next year, we’ve been evaluating the team composition overall, and have moved Patrick “es3tag” Hansen to the bench, and are allowing him to explore new opportunities ahead of the 2023 season. Patrick has been a fantastic teammate, colleague, and player to have at NIP. We have nothing but good things to say about him, and we are sure he will find success where ever he goes next.”

The Danish rifler ends his tenure with a 1.04 rating across 24 maps played across the last three months. Despite a decent showing at the Blast Premier Fall Final, NIP didn’t manage to post amazing results this year. Crashing out of the Rio Major in last place, NIP’s fate was more or less sealed. While Aleksib’s addition was meant to revitalize the team, the squad hasn’t been able to put together good results since.

es3tag’s statement reads:

“Benched by Ninjas in Pyjamas. A bumpy road, but I’m standing here at the end, proud of what we’ve accomplished. I will be taking my time to properly gauge what’s next for me. Wishing the best for my teammates and NiP, it’s been a ride I’ll always remember.”

No announcement regarding a fifth member of the squad has been made yet.