Complexity shuts down after 23 years, Jason Lake departs

Complexity has officially shut down after 23 years in esports, with founder and former CEO Jason Lake announcing the organization's closure and his own departure from the company he built.

Lake revealed the decision in a video posted on X on September 23. "We surveyed the landscape, surveyed where the business was at, and prospects for raising capital to pay off the seller-held note, and decided the best thing to do was to shut it down in an orderly and professional way, rather than crashing it into the sun as sometimes we see with other organizations," he said.

The North American esports organization was one of the most storied franchises in Counter-Strike history. Complexity first acquired a CS roster in 2004 and maintained a presence in the game for all but one of the following 22 years. The team won several major tournaments, including ESWC 2005, CPL Summer 2006, and ESL Challenger Jonkoping 2024. Complexity also attended 10 official Majors, reaching 3-4th place at DreamHack Winter 2013 and 5-8th place finishes at EMS One Katowice 2014 and FACEIT Major 2018.

Ownership of Complexity changed hands multiple times in recent years. A majority stake was sold to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and real estate investor John Goff in 2017. GameSquare acquired the organization in 2021. Lake, leading an investor group, re-acquired the brand in 2024 but faced a "challenging" esports economy the following year that made it impossible to properly support a CS team. Complexity exited Counter-Strike in August 2025.

Ownership of the Complexity IP has now transferred back to GameSquare, as the company held a seller-held note from Lake's 2024 acquisition. Lake expressed gratitude to everyone involved with the organization over the years and emphasized his own future remained in esports and business building.

"In terms of myself, I'm not done," Lake said. "I took a much-needed sabbatical this year, got some rest, and spent a lot of time with my family. I am extremely excited to build something new, and I am scanning the horizon, you could say, and looking where I can contribute in a meaningful way."