Richard Landström, better known as Xizt, is a Swedish former professional ''

Counter-Strike ''Counter-Strike'' (''CS'') is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games, in which opposing teams attempt to complete various objectives. The series began on Windows in 1999 with the release of the first game, '' Counte ...

'' player and coach who is the current head coach of

Ninjas in Pyjamas Ninjas in Pyjamas (often abbreviated to NIP and NiP) is a professional esports organisation based in Sweden that is best known for its '' Counter-Strike'' teams. In 2012, the team reformed with a '' Counter Strike: Global Offensive'' lineup upo ...

. Until February 2018, he played for

, but stepped down following a stretch of poor results. On March 11, 2018, he played for

Fnatic Fnatic (pronounced "fanatic"; also stylised as fnatic or FNATIC) is a professional esports organisation headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Founded on 23 July 2004, it has players from around the world competing in several games. Fnatic' ...

as in-game leader to replace Golden. On January 21, 2020, he reunited with former teammates and was part of Dignitas's Male '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' (CS:GO) Team. Landström's biggest result was winning

ESL One Cologne 2014 Electronic Sports League One Cologne 2014, also known as ESL One Cologne 2014, was the third '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' Major Championship. The tournament was held during Gamescom 2014 from August 14–17, 2014 at the Cologne Exhibiti ...

, one of Counter-Strike's majors.

Playing career

Landström was the primary IGL for Ninjas in Pyjamas from the formation of the roster to him stepping down in February 2018. Even though he normally wasn't the best performing player on the NiP roster,

HLTV HLTV, formerly an initialism of Half-Life Television, is a news website and forum which covers professional ''Counter-Strike 2'' esports news, tournaments and statistics. It is one of the leading websites within the ''Counter-Strike'' communit ...

ranked him among the top 20 players in 2010 (18th), 2011 (13th) and 2013 (6th). In April 2018 Landström joined

FaZe Clan FaZe Clan, or simply FaZe, is a professional esports and entertainment brand. Founded on May 30, 2010, as FaZe Sniping, the organization has professional players and content creators from around the world, across multiple games. In October 20 ...

as a substitute for Olofmeister due to him taking a short break from competitive ''Counter-Strike''. In May 2018 Olofmeister rejoined

and Landström left. On March 11, 2018, Landström signed with

. Many viewed this as a reunion as he had played with Fnatic before, in 2009–2012. He played with

until October 21, 2019, when he was benched by the organization from the active roster. On September 18, 2019,

Team Dignitas Dignitas is an American esports organization based in Newark, New Jersey. It was founded by Michael "ODEE" O'Dell in 2003 as a merger of two ''Battlefield 1942'' Clan (computer gaming), clans. Dignitas was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2 ...

announced they would re-enter male competitive CS:GO. Later on January 21, 2020, Dignitas confirmed the signing of the former

NiP Ninjas in Pyjamas (often abbreviated to NIP and NiP) is a professional esports organisation based in Sweden that is best known for its ''Counter-Strike'' teams. In 2012, the team reformed with a ''Counter Strike: Global Offensive'' lineup upon ...

roster of Patrik " F0rest" Lindberg, Christopher " GeT_RiGhT" Alesund, Adam " friberg" Friberg, and Richard "Xizt" Landström while adding rising Norwegian star Håkon "Hallzerk" Fjærli with Robin "Fifflaren" Johansson as a coach/manager. Landström announced his retirement from competitive ''Counter-Strike'' on September 23, 2021, ending his 12-year professional career.

Coaching career

Landström joined Heroic in October 2021 as an analyst and temporary coach for

PGL Major Stockholm 2021 The PGL Major Stockholm 2021, also known as PGL Major 2021 or Stockholm 2021, was the sixteenth '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' (''CS:GO'') Major Championship. It was held in Stockholm, Sweden at the Avicii Arena from October 26 to Novembe ...

. He became the team's full-time coach in March 2022, after signing a one-year contract extension. Heroic announced the departure of Landström on December 12, 2023. He was replaced by previous ENCE coach Eetu "sAw" Saha. In March 2024, Landström was named the head coach of

, marking his return to the team after his six-year stint with the organization from 2012 to 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xizt 1991 births Living people Swedish esports players Fnatic players Counter-Strike players Counter-Strike coaches cs:GO