Space Soldiers

Founding and the First CS:GO Roster

The organization was established in 2014 as Space Gaming A.Ş. by Turkish investor Bünyamin Aydın. Its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division was officially announced on 17 January 2015. The founding lineup consisted of five Turkish players: Emre 'e1' Biçer, Ismailcan 'XANTARES' Dörtkardeş, Cihan 'ONLY' Gönek, Tugay 'TuGuX' Keskin and Çağatay 'DESPE' Sedef. This team represented the core of the organization's initial foray into top-level competition, aiming to build a Turkish team capable of international success.

The first roster change came exactly one year later, in January 2016, when e1 was dropped from the active lineup. He was replaced by Engin 'ngiN' Kor. Shortly after, on 18 February 2016, Ahmet 'paz' Karahoca made his debut for the team. This revised squad quickly showed promise, reaching the semi-finals of the Copenhagen Games 2016 tournament in March of that year, an early sign of the team's potential on the European stage.

Building a Contender: The MAJ3R Era

A significant shift in the team's trajectory began on 15 November 2016, when the team released TuGuX. To fill the void, veteran in-game leader Engin 'MAJ3R' Küpeli joined on a trial basis on 26 November. His impact was positive, and he was officially signed to the team on 8 February 2017. This move brought crucial strategic experience to the roster.

Just five days after MAJ3R's official signing, on 13 February 2017, Space Soldiers signed a promising young talent, Buğra 'Calyx' Arkın, creating a six-man roster. This period confirmed the core that would drive the team to its greatest successes. The organization also maintained an academy team during this time, which included players like E1 and Edis Aydin, indicating a structure aimed at developing talent.

Breakthrough Victories and Major Qualification

The rebuilt team began to deliver consistent results in 2017. In September, they won the GeForce Cup 2017. During the same month, they qualified for the prestigious ESL One Cologne 2017. There, they pulled off an upset in their very first match, defeating the world number one ranked team, SK Gaming, with a 16-14 scoreline. Although they lost their next three matches and finished 12-14th, the victory proved they could compete with the elite.

The top of this rise came in January 2018. In the Challengers stage of the ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018, Space Soldiers defeated AVANGAR, Misfits Gaming, and mousesports to secure a historic spot. They became the first Turkish team ever to qualify for a CS:GO Major, a milestone that earned the players their own in-game sticker collection. At the Major itself, they scored another impressive win by beating the eventual champions, Cloud9, in their second game. However, a loss to mousesports later eliminated them from the tournament before the play-offs.

Peak Performance and Heartbreak

Just before their Major qualification, the team had experienced both triumph and agony at the WESG 2017 global finals. They reached the grand final after beating GODSENT in the quarter-finals and Team Russia in the semi-finals. In the final against Fnatic, they were on the brink of victory, leading 14-7 on the deciding map. However, Fnatic mounted a spectacular comeback to win 16-14, leaving Space Soldiers with a second-place finish.

The team's strong form continued into 2018. In March, HLTV's weekly rankings placed them as the 12th best team in the world. In June, they claimed an international trophy by winning DreamHack Open Austin 2018, defeating Rogue 2-1 in the final. Their second Major qualification came for the FACEIT Major: London in September 2018, but it was marred by visa issues. ngiN failed to secure a visa in time, forcing coach Canpolat 'hardstyle' Yıldıran to play as a stand-in. The handicapped team lost all three of its matches in the main qualifier.

The FIFA Division and Other Operations

Alongside its flagship CS:GO team, Space Soldiers operated a FIFA division. The organization contracted player Emre 'Riv9' Kayır, who represented the team in FIFA World Cup qualifiers in December 2017. In March 2018, his performance earned him a spot at the FUT 18 Champions Cup in Barcelona, a premier event in the FIFA competitive circuit. While the FIFA operation was smaller, it demonstrated the organization's intent to be a multi-title esports club, though it remained secondary to the CS:GO team's activities and profile.

Mounting Controversies and Internal Conflict

The organization faced several public controversies. In September 2017, reserve player Çağatay 'DESPE' Sedef received a two-year ban from ESL, preventing him from standing in at ESL tournaments. Space Soldiers publicly stated they were in talks with the organizers, and ESL eventually lifted the ban, calling it unwarranted.

A more hostile incident occurred on 13 June 2018 at ESL One Belo Horizonte. After the opening ceremony where players passed through fans, MAJ3R tweeted that some fans had spat on the Space Soldiers players. Players from the opposing team, SK Gaming, apologized for the behavior of their home crowd. Two days later, during a signing session, MAJ3R received a letter of apology from multiple fans.

Behind the scenes, tensions were boiling over. Rumors about low player salaries had circulated for a long time. A clear signal of discontent emerged in May 2018 when all the CS:GO players changed their Steam profile pictures from the Space Soldiers logo to a solid black image.

The Final Tournament and Acrimonious Split

Despite the internal rift, the team honored a commitment to compete one last time. In late September 2018, Space Soldiers was invited to BLAST Pro Series Istanbul, a major tournament on home soil. They finished the event in fourth place in front of their local fans. Unbeknownst to the public, the decision to separate had already been made a month prior, on 15 September 2018, when the two sides agreed to part ways.

On 13 October 2018, the organization announced it was ceasing operations after controversially parting ways with its CS:GO team. In a later interview, former captain Engin 'MAJ3R' Küpeli provided a damning assessment. He stated the organization did not fulfill the promises made to the players and was run by amateurs. He expressed personal liking for the Aydın family but criticized the hiring of people with no esports experience and noted that founder Bünyamin Aydın was often busy with his clothing company. The organization's own statement on Twitter indicated that months of talks had failed after the players declined a financial offer.