In April we saw Oslo Lions public announcement that the new Norwegian eSport team is looking to expand. Though relatively new at the top level of gaming, Oslo Lions have already established their brand name successfully in games like Call of Duty 4, Counter-strike and Quake 3.

Today came the announcement that they are also expanding into the popular game of Team Fortress 2. The former Blood Pressure team will now wave the Oslo Lions flag on the TF2 front.

It has been a long and difficult path to success as a serious competitive eSports title for Team Fortress 2 but with rising eSports team Oslo Lions picking up Blood Pressure, many hope that this will be the first step to the game being more recognised.

Oslo Lions new line-up:

Rauli Savela // Darn
Jukka Kauppinen // Rebeli
Jussi-Heikki Piipponen // Scock
Antti Kunnamo // Kuntsi
Toni Riikonen // Sexy
Tuomas Kunnamo // Punpu
Lauri Rasi // mafu
Anders Örndahl // Pjoxt

Statement from Team Captain Rauli Savela // Darn

We are really looking forward to competing with the best at international tournaments in the near future.

We thank Oslo Lions for this opportunity and we are ready for the next chapter in our gaming careers.

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I sat down with Oslo Lion´s General Manager Emilien Eloy // kizashi to answer some brief questions.

Hey Emilien, congratulations on your recent pick! What made you pick Blood Pressure over other currently strong teams?

First of all, I would like to thank you for giving us the opporunity to explain to the community our pickup.

They are a really active team with a lineup that has not changed that much during this season, which for us proves stability between the players. This is something we are looking for, secondly during the discussions between the team and ourselves we found that the individuals and the team as a whole share our vision and goals. Combining these two factors with friendly faces and the fact that they are a part of our target audience Scandinavia made the decision easier for us.

Team Fortress 2 has yet to be accepted into the elitist and exclusive round of competitive eSports. What are your reasons for investing into the game and what do you think of Team Fortress 2 regarding it´s eSports potential?

The first reason was the activity of the game and the “cartoon” part which give to the spectators some fun. We are also thinking that Team Fortress 2 can represent a big part of the future.

The evolution of Team Fortress 2 was dazzling and we hope that it will continue to show to the ones who think that a new game can not dethrone a game such as Counter-Strike, that it’s possible. We are quiet confident about our shot into Team Fortress 2.

With PCGamer LAN and hopefully EasyBash coming up soon, Europe sees some great LAN competitions. Are you going to attend these "Team Fortress 2 events"? What are your plans for the future?

Yes, of course we will attend as many as possible. We want to give them the opportunity to proove themselves during offline events and hopefully grab some nice results.

The future of Team Fortress 2 is a bit uncertain but we hope that the events organisers will keep giving us some nice events so we can show some results in the durability.

Thanks for your time Emilien, and good luck with your team!

Thanks Christian and I hope to met you in the upcoming offline events!

Related: Oslo Lions Announcement