Complexity has shut down, ending founder Jason Lake's 23-year run with the esports organization even as the brand itself remains in existence under GameSquare. HLTV reports that Lake made the closure official in a video after the company chose to wind down operations at the end of 2025.
Lake said the organization reviewed its financial position and the prospects of raising enough capital to pay off a seller-financed note. Its leadership opted for an orderly shutdown instead of risking a disorderly collapse. That decision left Lake and his core team outside Complexity for the first time since the organization began.
The brand returns to GameSquare
The shutdown does not erase Complexity as intellectual property. Lake said ownership of the brand transferred back to GameSquare because the company held the seller-financed note from his 2024 purchase.
That transaction was the latest turn in a long ownership history. A majority stake in Complexity was sold to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and real-estate investor John Goff in 2017. GameSquare acquired the organization in 2021, before a Lake-led investor group bought it back three years later.
The return proved brief. HLTV says a difficult esports economy left Complexity unable to properly support a Counter-Strike roster, and the organization withdrew from the game in August 2025. The later shutdown closes the operating company while leaving the name and IP with GameSquare.
A long Counter-Strike run ends
Complexity first acquired a Counter-Strike roster in 2004 and fielded a team in all but one of the next 22 years. Its notable victories included ESWC 2005, CPL Summer 2006 and ESL Challenger Jonkoping 2024. The organization also appeared at 10 official Majors, reaching the semifinals at DreamHack Winter 2013 and the quarterfinals at EMS One Katowice 2014 and FACEIT Major 2018.
Lake said he is not retiring. After taking a sabbatical and spending more time with his family, he plans to build again and hopes an opportunity will keep him in esports. He did not announce a new organization or role, leaving his next move open while his tenure at Complexity comes to an end.
Gaming