Marcel "⁠hyped⁠" Köhn will take the step up from BIG Academy

The declaration backs up a prior report from Dexerto that was released not long after the German squad finished 13th–16th at IEM Katowice 2023. At the last European closed qualifier for IEM Brazil 2023, hyped participated with the starting lineup and assisted BIG in advancing beyond the bottom bracket and securing the second qualifying slot. With an overall tournament rating of 1.25 over 12 maps played, the 21-year-old stood out.

Hyped will reteam with fellow BIG Academy alumnus Karim "Krimbo" Moussa, with whom he won the ESL Meisterschaft Fall 2022 by defeating Sprout in the final. During the course of his stint with the junior team, the AWPer recorded a 1.12 rating. His best performance came in the fourth season of the WePlay Academy League, when he helped GIANT Academy finish second with a 1.26 rating.