Following the news that both mTw and mousesports would be overhauling their CS:S divisions, Team Thermaltake have followed suit.

mTw had been toying with the idea of picking up an International team for the best part of a year; trying various combinations of German and British players before eventually realising that the ESL's "Majority German Players" rule would forever hold them back when it comes to taking on the best Europe has to offer. They have since dropped most Germans from the team in favour of a more continental lineup, whilst their rivals mousesports - who enjoyed plenty of success in their homeland in the winter - made a similar move. Instead of picking up an all-German team to take part in the EPS (like mTw are rumoured to be doing) mousesports have stated that they will drop out of the EPS and concentrate solely on International competition.

This unprecedented move seems to have given other German organisations the confidence and backbone to go down the same route. The latest of them is Team Thermaltake, who at the turn of the year announced the departure of their CS:S squad, stating that although they had improved over the course of the year - earning at top four spot in the EPS and fourth at NorthCon - they will not be renewing their contracts.

They said:

If you have already taken a look at our current team page you might have noticed that there is no CS:S team. The fact is that the contracts with the players ran out at the end of 2011 and we are now looking for a new decent team with whom we can reach our goals with 2012.

Since we wont limit ourselves to just some online leagues in Germany it's possible that it will be either a German or an International team.

The Team Thermaltake Development Director also added:

I would like to thank all the players for their dedication to our organisation in 2011. The first half of the year was not as successful as we might have hoped for but the second half showed some good results. A top 4 spot during the Winter Pro Series, a 4th place during northcon and good results in other tournaments like EMS or 4Players League. If circumstances allow it we even might see them playing a few more matches for us since they are still alive in the EMS playoffs. We wish all of you the best of luck for your future.

The key part of those statements is where they state that they will no longer be limiting themselves to a German team, hinting at the possibility of an overseas team joining the organisation - considered to be one of the biggest in Germany. If they do decide to pick up an International team it will be another blow for the German scene but another huge boost for the level of competition in Europe, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.