Rumours of buyout surround team Falcons after roster signing
Speculations over another buyout by Team Falcons began swirling again in June 2025. The catalyst was the recent signing of Maksim ‘Kyousuke’ Lukin, replacing Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif as rifler. There is no official disclosure of how much the Saudi Arabian team has spent, but it is speculated to be up to $2 million, which the Falcons deny.
Signs of buyout that started the rumour in 2024
What prompted the rumours to start swirling in the first place? Most CS2 esports fans attribute it to the team’s past actions, particularly in the previous buyout spree. The most controversial of which was Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač for around $1 million in January this year. This time, Kyousuke is the centre of attention because his signing shows similar signs to NiKo’s case.
One of those signs includes sudden roster shakeups and increased organisational expenses. Kyousuke’s transfer is a big surprise, especially when the team has fresh arrivals along with NiKo, René ‘TeSeS’ Madsen, Damjan ‘kyxsan’ Stoikovski, and Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov. This move put Falcons’ veteran, Magisk, on the bench.
The other sign is major investments as an organisation. Team Falcons has increased expenses across its esports franchises, including the aforementioned CS2 roster shakeup. Another notable investment they made was signing the former Team BDS roster in Rainbow Six Siege (R6) esports in March 2025.
Elaborate: What does ‘buyout’ mean in this context?
The official definition for a ‘buyout’ is when a team pays a fee to terminate a pro player’s existing contract so the player can join a different team. It’s a standard practice in professional sports and esports, but it can leave a negative impression depending on the context.
For example, Kyousuke’s signing is rumoured to be a controversial buyout because he showed no prior plans of transferring out, but suddenly he joined a new team. CS2 fans speculated that he was paid a hefty sum of up to $2 million, which Team Falcons denied.
A buyout can be seen negatively if the organisation is known to have a large budget and uses it to aggressively acquire top talent from other teams. For example, getting Kyousuke is seen by some as a harmful buyout because it significantly affects Team Spirit Academy’s popularity with the Chinese fanbase. Losing Kyousuke’s star power can hurt their viewership in future matches.
Team Falcons buyout: Fact or mere speculation?
Team Falcons denies all claims of a big-budget buyout. Chairman Musaed ‘Msdossary’ Al-Dossary stated that the cost was big, but not close to the rumoured $2 million. Kyousuke’s contract figures are still kept private. If true, then the 17-year-old’s contract could be one of the highest price tags in esports.
There are no formal confirmations, and if the rumours are true, Team Falcons is still unlikely to have breached any rules. Their aggressive market behaviour is under scrutiny, but it could simply be a sign of strong competitive ambition in esports. The CS2 community is closely watching this news, demonstrating their commitment to fair play in professional esports.
