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Ninjas in Pyjamas has benched Ukrainian rifler Artem “cairne” Mushynskyi from its CS2 roster, kicking off what the organization is calling summer roster changes. The move comes roughly five months after cairne joined the team in January 2026.
The CS2 situation
NIP’s CS2 squad failed to qualify for a Major tournament this season. Cairne was signed on January 11, 2026, as a replacement following earlier roster shuffles. Five months later, he’s on the bench.
NIP, founded in 2000, has been cycling through roster configurations trying to recapture its former glory in competitive Counter-Strike.
NIP Group: esports org or crypto company?
NIP Group went public on Nasdaq in 2024 under the ticker NIPG, and since then the organization has been building out a cryptocurrency operation alongside its competitive gaming division.
By late 2025, NIP Group’s Bitcoin mining operations had reached approximately 11.3 EH/s in capacity, with the organization targeting around 160 BTC in monthly production.
In June 2025, NIP launched the $DOJO fan token on the Chiliz blockchain through Socios.com.
What this means for investors
Roster changes like cairne’s benching don’t typically move publicly traded esports stocks, and there has been no immediate reaction in the crypto market following this move. Investors in NIPG are watching metrics like hash rate, BTC production costs, and $DOJO token engagement.
NIP’s brand value, and by extension its ability to sell merchandise, attract sponsors, and drive fan token adoption, is partially tied to how well its teams perform. A CS2 roster that can’t make a Major generates less viewership, less media coverage, and less fan enthusiasm.
At 11.3 EH/s and 160 BTC monthly production targets, NIP Group’s mining revenue is directly correlated to Bitcoin’s price and network difficulty.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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