f0rest retires as one of Counter-Strike’s most legendary players

When I started following Counter-Strike shortly after the release of CS:GO, my friend told me, “f0rest is the greatest CS player of all time. The only other player that can be put in that conversation with f0rest is NEO.” So, f0rest was my first real “inside information” from someone whose opinion I really valued. Even now, that friend ranks high in the CS esports world—higher than you might think. On November 8th, Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg announced his retirement after a nearly 20-year career.

For most of his career, he was regarded as an elite player. His longevity came with loyalty. He spent four years with Fnatic in CS 1.6 and nearly eight years with Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) in CS:GO. Despite such a long career, he added only Dignitas, SK Gaming, Begrip, and Embrace to his “past teams” list. Back in 2005, when he made a name for himself in Begrip, the world was a much different place—before the first iPhone, before Netflix streaming, before AI. The internet was a parallel to what we have now, and esports glory and stardom were largely bound to South Korea. Forget million-dollar prize pools.

Although he finished his career teamless for the past couple of years, it doesn’t detract from his legendary status in CS or even esports as a whole.

Insane Talent

Known for his quick aim, sharp reflexes, decisive movements, and game sense, f0rest was a force to be reckoned with in 1.6. His skill made him a clutch player, a solid foundation for when CS:GO was released in August 2012. NiP won DreamHack Valencia 2012 only a month later, bringing f0rest his first of many MVP awards. From 2010 in CS 1.6 through 2016 in CS:GO, he was among the world’s top 20 players, peaking at #2 in 2013. Sticking with the same team has its pros and cons, but f0rest held his ground.

Countless trophies should be in his cabinet, especially from his early years. NiP still holds the record for an 87-map win streak at LAN in the early days of CS:GO, and f0rest was a crucial part of that achievement. He’s credited with winning 23 LAN trophies in NiP, which is nothing short of insane. He’s a Major winner, too, at ESL One Cologne 2014, where NiP bested their Swedish rivals, Fnatic, 2-1 in a close final.

f0rest and GeT_RiGhT

There’s at least one more thing that made f0rest special: his partner in crime, another legend - Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund. Since their 1.6 days, they stuck together as long as they could - all the way to 2022. Probably the best, or one of the best lurkers CS has ever seen, GeT_RiGhT complemented f0rest incredibly well.

A friend that I’ll always have till end of times

A friend who became my best teammate ever

A friend who I can always ask the most stupidest sh*t ever and he’ll steer me into the right direction

A friend who pushed me to the limit to become even better than I were the day… pic.twitter.com/cJuXLKC8yX

— Christopher Alesund (@GeT_RiGhT) November 8, 2024

I’ll never forget the NiP magic at IEM Oakland. They weren’t expected to win in 2016 or 2017, but something about Oakland made them shine. It was the last big LAN tournament they won. Seeing GeT_RiGhT in tears really left an impact on me. One more time I saw him crying was when they won the Major in 2014.

It’s hard to say anything new about f0rest and his storied career, but he deserves a mention on any outlet covering esports. Many greats like sh0x, olofmeister, KennyS, even Valve official CS 2 account, have already said their thanks and their goodbyes which just confirmed how amazing and important to the CS world he was.

He’s not stepping away entirely, though—now, he’ll serve as a brand ambassador for NiP. His first gig was just last weekend at the Svenska Cupen tournament in Stockholm. Witnessing his career has been a privilege, and we look forward to seeing what’s next for him.