5 hyped players that never reached potential: Where are they now?

2024 looks likely to be the year of donk.

The 17-year-old burst onto the tier-one scene at IEM Katowice 2024 with a record-breaking performance, and now it looks like he has the potential to have one of the greatest careers of any Counter-Strike player ever.

For donk, just as with m0NESY, ropz, and b1t before him, success at the elite level seemed inevitable.

A mercurial talent, he was born to play Counter-Strike and is now set to light up our screens in CS2 as olofmeister, dupreeh, and f0rest did for eras of Counter-Strike before him.

However, sustained success for young stars isn't always guaranteed, and while they can start brightly, their star can soon wane, and they can fade into obscurity.

That said, let's take a look at five stars whose careers started brightly but have since seen them fade from the spotlight.

kyojin

Best-known for: Vitality

Current team: None

When kyojin signed for Vitality, the belief was that they might have another ZywOo on their hands. But it didn't quite pan out that way. Also signed from the lower levels of the French team, he won one event with Vitality, IEM Winter 2021.

Since being benched by Vitality, however, questions have been raised as to how he ever played in tier-one at all. He was benched by Falcons following an uninspiring spell and has been without a team since May 2023.

Jamppi

Best-known for: ENCE

Current team: Liquid (VALORANT)

After ENCE had enjoyed a meteoric rise in 2018 and 2019, their roster struggled to replicate similar results in 2020. Fortunately for them, a young star was rising within the country, and Jamppi joined the team at just 18 years old.

However, there was one problem with that: He was VAC-banned. A lawsuit followed, and eventually, he was unbanned, but by that point, it was too late, and Jamppi had already transitioned to VALORANT where he has become a top star.

sergej

Best-known for: ENCE

Current team: None

Voted the 13th-best player of 2019, sergej won two tier-one events during his time with ENCE and was awarded a HLTV MVP award for one of those wins.

Despite such a promising start to his career and the fact he is still only 22, sergej has now been without a team since 2021 following military service and a suggested lack of motivation.

It's not all doom and gloom, though; sergej's brother Jimpphat is now one of the world's most exciting prospects and is tearing it up for MOUZ.

oBo

Best-known for: Complexity

Current team: None

Another star who shone brightly during his brief playing career before fading away in the online era is oBo. Heralded as the next big thing for NA CS, he spent the best period of his career on Complexity alongside blameF, k0nfig, and RUSH.

It was a bright start to his career, but after COVID and the online era hit, it wasn't long before oBo saw himself fade out of the limelight.

He had a very brief spell on Evil Geniuses but has been without a team since leaving them in November 2021.

EspiranTo

Best-known for: Being part of the Valiance/CR4ZY/c0ntact core

Current team: None

An FPL superstar from the same graduating class as FaZe superstar ropz, EspiranTo seemed destined for greatness after a strong start to his career as part of a Valiance core that also previously included current G2 stars huNter- and nexa.

However, despite this, EspiranTo has now been without a team since 2022, largely due to military service. Although that military service is now over, and if this recent tweet is anything to go by, this is one star that may yet continue to shine brightly.