Ninjas in Pyjamas have announced that Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer is stepping down from the active Counter-Strike roster by mutual agreement. The 36-year-old Danish in-game leader departs the starting five after approximately 18 months at the helm, leaving the Swedish organization in search of a new caller.
Rebuilding phase and Major qualification
Snappi joined NIP to lead a complete overhaul of the roster during a difficult period for the organization. Throughout his tenure, the team climbed back up the world rankings and secured a spot at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, where they advanced through the opening phase to reach Stage 2.
In their official statement, NIP acknowledged the veteran’s contributions to restructuring the squad:
“Snappi and NIP have mutually agreed for Snappi to step down from the active roster and pass the torch to a new captain. Thank you, Snappi, for all your hard work and commitment to the team over the past year and a half. You helped take us from an unranked team all the way to Stage 2 of a Major. You’ve laid the foundations for the team’s future and helped create a platform for our players to compete at the highest level.”
Persistent individual struggles
While Snappi provided structured leadership during the rebuild, his individual output remained a recurring point of criticism. Across his time with NIP, his numbers against top-tier opposition frequently dipped below team averages.
At the Esports World Cup 2026, Snappi recorded a 0.69 rating across six maps. Similar struggles were visible at other major international competitions, including a 0.78 rating during Stage 2 of the StarLadder Budapest Major, a 0.83 rating at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, and a 0.80 rating at PGL Astana 2025. Although he found stronger statistical form during regional online events and early qualifier stages, maintaining that fragging standard at premier LAN events proved challenging.
Eyes on LNZ as potential successor
With the captaincy now vacant, attention shifts to who will assume leadership duties for NIP. Reports have previously linked the organization with Linus “LNZ” Holtäng, who currently serves as the in-game leader for MIBR. LNZ previously represented the organization through their academy project, Young Ninjas, as well as a stint on the main roster in 2021.
NIP has not yet officially confirmed their new fifth player, with further announcements expected ahead of their upcoming tournament schedule.
