HEROIC has officially announced the removal of head coach Joonas “doto” Forss from the active lineup. The decision ends his tenure with the main roster after just three months, during which the team secured two tournament victories and established a strong position for the upcoming PGL Singapore Major.
From the academy to the main roster
doto originally joined the organization in April 2025 to lead the HEROIC Academy project. Following the closure of the academy division earlier this summer, he was promoted to head coach of the primary roster. Under his leadership over the past three months, the main team managed to claim two trophies (Stake Pulse Beat II and Stake Ranked Episode 3), including a victory at his debut event as head coach.
CEO explains the roster change
Despite the recent results, the organization decided to move in a different direction. HEROIC CEO Joachim Harg explained the reasoning behind the sudden roster change in the official press release.
“Joonas has delivered great results for us, both with the Academy team and now with the main team. He has won us two trophies and put us in an excellent position to qualify for the PGL Singapore Major. More importantly, he is a genuinely great guy, which made the decision to bench him incredibly difficult. But sometimes you have to make difficult decisions and choose the direction you believe is best for the project in the long term,” said HEROIC CEO Joachim Harg.
Doto open to new offers
Following the announcement, doto took to social media to share his thoughts on the situation. The Finnish coach expressed disappointment that the project ended prematurely. He emphasized his pride in the team’s achievements and stated he would have loved to finish the work they started together.
Looking ahead, Forss confirmed his intention to continue his career in coaching and announced that he is currently open to discussing new opportunities in the Counter-Strike circuit.
