Fans have long anticipated it. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Gentle Mates are preparing to enter the Counter Strike 2 scene. The organization, founded by Corentin “Gotaga” Houssein, Lucas “Squeezie” Hauchard, and Kevin “Brawks” Georges, is expected to acquire the core roster of Iberian Soul — a team that has been without an organization since KOI’s departure from the scene in January. Per sources, Rebels Gaming was the second option. The team showed interest in acquiring the roster and was close to finding an agreement.

The four Spanish players — Alejandro "mopoz" Fernández-Quejo, David "dav1g" Granado, Pere "sausol" Solsona, and Alejandro "alex" Masanet — have reached a verbal agreement to join M8. Only the Portuguese in-game-leader Renato "stadodo" Gonçalves will not be part of the venture. Stadodo is indeed expected to play only until the agreement with 9z’s AWPer, Antonio "Martinez" Martinez, is fully finalized. Gentle Mates will therefore complete an entirely Spanish roster — a notable choice given the historic rivalry between France and Spain within the European esports landscape.

While this move represents a significant step for M8, the team is unlikely to contend at the highest level immediately. Since the start of the season, Iberian Soul have not qualified for any S-Tier tournaments, falling short at qualifiers for events such as PGL Bucharest, PGL Astana, and IEM Dallas. The team has primarily competed in CCT Europe and lesser-known regional tournaments. Their most recent appearance culminated in a title win at Galaxy Battle 2025 // Phase 3 — the roster’s final performance under the Iberian Soul name.

Coming Full Circle

Gentle Mates’ arrival on the Counter-Strike scene feels like a natural evolution. From the outset, the organization has been deeply rooted in the FPS genre, largely due to the background of its founders. Now established as content creators, Gotaga and Brawks are both former professional Call of Duty players and were among the original co-founders of… Team Vitality — now the best Counter-Strike team in the world. Squeezie, one of France’s most prominent YouTubers, also gained early recognition ten years ago through Call of Duty content.

In fact, the Gentle Mates project initially launched with a hidden FPS venture in January 2023, under the name “SBG” — the initials of the three streamers — in VALORANT, in the VCL France. Since then, M8 has expanded its footprint across multiple games, most notably with the launch of its Call of Duty section in December 2024. With this move, the co-founders once again reaffirm their FPS identity by joining what remains the genre’s most iconic title.