Berlin International Gaming, have completed the massive signing of Benjamin “blameF” Bremer from fnatic. The Danish superstar joins the team ahead of the 2026 season and will take up IGL duties on the roster.
The move also marks an end to the short-lived Lukas “FreeZe” Hegmann-led BIG roster that saw the organization through the second half of 2025. During that period BIG emerged victorious at smaller events such as the CCT European Series #12, and Chennai Esports Global Championship 2025. Curiously, long-time leader Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz continues his role as a rifler in the team, instead of returning to a leadership role.
blameF signing a major coup for BIG
blameF is by far the biggest signing that BIG have managed in their long history as Germany’s premier organization. The move comes as part of the team’s return to an international roster, hoping to replicate the success of their 2020 roster. That roster, which featured a deadly duo of İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş, and Florian “syrsoN” Rische, peaked at number one in the world during the online era, and remained a challenger across the year.
“Benjamin has been at an absolute top level individually for a long time, but what mattered even more to me were our conversations. He has a clear vision of how Counter-Strike needs to be played, how a team must function, and what responsibility an IGL has to carry. In team discussions, you immediately feel that the guys listen to him – he leads not by being loud, but with substance. He brings structure, direction, and accountability. That’s exactly what we wanted.”
At the same time, blameF was making his name with the Complexity juggernaut, where he earned his first of four consecutive Top 20 appearances. A top 6 placement in 2020 capped out a year where the Dane established himself as one of the best riflers in Counter-Strike. Since then, he has brought the same level of performance to any roster he’s joined. First with Astralis, where he brought the team to multiple S-tier playoffs with his rifling and leadership.
Related—Astralis adds K0nfig and blameF to Counter-Strike roster
When Astralis dropped blameF after the team missed out at the Copenhagen RMR in 2024, fnatic snatched him up, leading to the team’s most prosperous period in many years. With the pressure of leadership off his shoulders, blameF partnered up well with Matúš “matys” Šimko, leading the team from outside the top 50, into the top 20, including a Stage 2 finish at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
“I’m very excited to be part of BIG. I’m looking forward to getting into the grind with the team, working hard every day, and accomplishing our shared goals.”
Now at BIG, blameF will be putting his IGL chops to use again, but its really his individual prowess that will bolster BIG’s firepower. Since Karim “Krimbo” Moussa’s surprise benching, the team has been playing with essentially just one rifle firing in the form of Jon “JDC” de Castro. The trio of JDC, Gleb “gr1ks” Gazin, and blameF, on the other hand, can hang with the best of the best.
Related—Starladder Budapest Major 2025: Stage 1 preview
fnatic sign Maden to replace blameF
On the other side of the deal, fnatic are losing their talismanic talent after 18 months with the team. Had the moves for other organizations gone as expected, blameF would have never joined fnatic in the first place, but the organization definitely made hay while the sun shone, with esports bookmaker Betify’s sponsorship playing a key role in making that move a reality. Now, they stand in a much better position as an organization, as is evident with their signing of former Falcons player Pavle “maden” Bošković as blameF’s replacement.
Related—Falcons complete CS2 roster with Sunpayus, Magisk, and Maden
While not a superstar in the vein of blameF, Maden is still a brilliant Counter-Strike player, and brings a ton of experience to the roster. A small hit in the short term is expected for fnatic, but the team should still stay in Major contention going forward.
BIG bring back Tizian as assistant coach
Alongside the blameF signing, BIG have also announced that they are bringing back BIG veteran Tizian “tiziaN” Feldbusch to the team as an assistant coach. Much like Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth’s role on MOUZ’s coaching staff, tiziaN brings a vast amount of experience, and an understanding of a player’s struggles to the team.
BIG are also expected to announce their final signing for the CS2 roster soon, just before the team heads into BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 to kick off the season. With a fiery trio of stars raring to go, BIG will be a team to watch across the year.
