Stockholm-based esports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) announced Friday plans to celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special Counter-Strike 2 “25th Anniversary Showmatch” in partnership with casino and crypto betting platform Rainbet.
The showmatch will take place on Nov. 5, at 6 PM CET across NIP’s YouTube and Twitch channels, and will be co-streamed by f0rest and GeT_RiGhT on their respective Twitch channels as well.
The Rainbet Anniversary Showmatch will feature competition between NIP’s current Counter-Strike 2 and Impact players and an “all-star lineup of NIP Legends” that includes Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, and others to be announced closer to the competition date. Representing the current era of NIP, the Showmatch will feature Rasmus “sjuush” Beck, Artem “r1nkle” Moroz, Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara, along with NIP Impact players Ksenia “vilga” Klyuenkova and Mia “aiM” Cooper.
The Showdown will be played as a best-of-three series. The competition will also feature “commentary from top-tier broadcast talent,” which will be announced at a later date. The Red Bull Gaming Sphere (RBGS) in Stockholm will serve as the venue of choice, though seating for the match will be limited…
“I’m looking forward to celebrating this significant milestone for NIP alongside my former teammates from over a decade ago,” said Patrik ‘f0rest’ Lindberg, brand ambassador of NIP. “Together we achieved a Major title and a win record that still stands today. It’s now time to prove that we have still got it against some of the best players in the world, who proudly represent NIP today.”
While the early days of NIP were tumultuous and challenging—the organization disbanded and re-united several times between its founding in 2000 and 2011—it finally found its groove in 2012 with the help of its winningest star players, f0rest and GeT_RiGhT.
In January 2023, Chinese esports company eStar Gaming Victory Five (ESV5) completed its merger with NIP through an equity swap, operating under the name NIP Group. In June 2024, the company filed for an initial public offering (IPO) with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and is currently trading under the stock ticker NIPG on the NASDAQ.
While NIP began its life as a Counter-Strike-focused organization, over the years, it has expanded into other esports. The organization currently has competitive rosters in Apex Legends, League of Legends (LPL), Rainbow Six Siege, EA Sports FC, and Street Fighter 6, among others.