Arriving on
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2015, the North American organization, founded around Call of Duty esports, has been home to many French CS legends, with a large part of its history on Valve’s FPS built around the French-speaking scene. According to sources close to
Sheep Esports, that identity could be making a comeback nearly five years after its last roster, with the 3DMAX roster set to join the organization under this historic tag, which has already won a Major. This rumor had already been reported by the French media outlet
lasourcegg.
After several months of issues within the French organization involving unpaid salaries, cash prizes and stickers, with Sheep Esports having reported extensively on the situation, the French players on the roster are now on their way to a new club.
Currently ranked 28th in the Valve System Ranking, the French five-man roster is in serious difficulty, having fallen back outside the global Top 30 in the latest official ranking, although 3DMAX appears to have turned things around in recent weeks. On
HLTV, the website specializing in
Counter-Strike esports, the roster still appears to be in contention for a spot at the
PGL Major Singapore, which will take place from late November.
A welcome fresh start
This year, 3DMAX narrowly missed out on qualification for the Major in Cologne, which took place last July, after the club had previously secured three consecutive qualifications. In those appearances, the French organization finished in the Top 12-14 three times, being eliminated just before the playoffs. The situation in 2026 has therefore only continued to deteriorate, seemingly as a result of the club’s internal situation, with missing payments that had already started long before this season.
While other options earlier in the year had offered to buy out the same roster while also taking on part of the club’s substantial debts, with Team Heretics among them, it now appears that Envy, formerly Team EnvyUs, will be the organization taking over the five players. According to information gathered by our journalists, the North American organization does not appear to be taking on the debts, or any part of them, and will simply acquire the players and, of course, their VRS points.
Active between 2015 and 2021, Envy is therefore expected to return to this license after nearly five years without activity in the scene. Following CSGO, the club will now make its return on CS2, and just like at its launch, with five French players. It is also worth noting that, in addition to captain Bryan "Maka" Canda and his four teammates, two players are currently benched by 3DMAX, Pierre "Ex3rcice" Bulinge and Alexandre "bodyy" Pianaro, the latter currently playing on loan at OG Esports.
