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Outfit 49 Co-Owner Rakkno on Building a Toronto-Based Counter-Strike Organization
While researching Counter-Strike organizations based in Canada, I came across Outfit 49, a Toronto-based esports organization founded in January 2025. I had the chance to speak with co-founder & co-owner James “Rakkno” Power to learn more about how the team is structured, the goals for the team, and how he views the Canadian Counter-Strike scene.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Team Structure
Outfit 49 originally launched as a Rainbow Six organization before shifting its attention to Counter-Strike.
“We started back in January of 2025 as a Rainbow Six organization,” Rakkno said. “I’ve always loved Counter-Strike. It’s my favourite game, and by February I said, okay, I’ll have a look.”
That decision led to the signing of a Ukrainian core roster competing in North America under the name ‘Immigrants Peeks’. Shortly after, a Valve rule change requiring a majority North American lineup forced the organization to rebuild.
“Our plans of a Ukrainian side in North America sort of blew up,” he said. “So we had to rebuild.”
Most recently, in January 2026, the team picked up the ‘Phoenix’ roster, who attended fl0m’s Mythical LAN earlier this year.
Outfit 49 is:
Gabriel “
Nazar “The roster is still new, and Rakkno is realistic about what that means for short-term expectations.
“You can’t take a bunch of very good players and put them into a match and immediately succeed. Everything takes time.”
At the time of writing, Outfit 49 sits 198th in the global Valve Regional Standings (VRS), with recent 3rd–4th place finishes at PrizePicks NA Revival Series 12 and Dust2.us Eagle Masters Series 6.
The organization is self-funded and unsalaried, but it covers all competitive expenses, including ESEA League Pass fees, practice servers, TeamSpeak, and tournament entry fees.
“We’re totally sponsored by ourselves,” Rakkno said. “Anything competitive-related, we’re covering.”
The next step is securing sponsorships that would allow the team to attend more LANs consistently and eventually offer player compensation.
The Canadian Angle
Although the current roster does not feature any Canadian players, Outfit 49 is firmly based in Toronto, with all three co-founders involved in operating the organization two locally in Toronto, including Rakkno and one based in Ireland.
When asked about the absence of Canadian players on the roster and whether that might change in the future, Rakkno was direct.
“At the end of the day, we’re looking to win,” Rakkno said when discussing roster decisions. “Will we take a good performer in Canada compared to an excellent performer in the US? Likely not. There are definitely some good Canadian players who are upcoming.”
He added that there are strong Canadian players developing in the region, naming Freshie and Drop as examples. However, many of those players are already signed to other organizations or committed to their current teams, and others are still working toward breaking into larger tournaments.
While adding Canadian players is not out of the question, any roster move would need to align with the team’s competitive direction. For now, he emphasized that Outfit 49 is happy with its current lineup and is not actively looking to make changes.
When the conversation shifted to the Canadian scene more broadly, he said the scene needs ranked events in order to grow.
He believes major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or even Ottawa need more VRS LAN events that give teams a legitimate opportunity to earn points without international travel. A recurring large-scale event series similar to Fragadelphia, but hosted in Canada, would create a clearer pathway for teams trying to climb the rankings.
“You’ve just got to have VRS-ranked tournaments in Canada, and that will grow the scene. It’s that simple.”
With other major esports events finding success in Toronto, he also believes the idea of a CS Major in Canada is realistic.
“I mean, hopefully. I know Overactive Media is doing a lot in Toronto in terms of growing the esports scene here, so maybe they somehow end up having a Major here eventually. I think a Toronto Major is definitely not out of the picture, because Valorant had theirs.”
Looking Ahead
In less than a year, Outfit 49 has already progressed further than the ownership group initially expected.
“In less than a year, this has far exceeded what we expected,” Rakkno said.
He believes North America remains competitive but open enough for the right roster to break through. Reaching a Major is a long-term ambition for the organization, and Rakkno is realistic about the timeline, viewing it as a multi-year objective.
“The players have the potential to reach tier one. One hundred percent, I believe it.”
He specifically highlighted HONeST as one of the highest-potential prospects in North America and expressed strong confidence in the lineup’s ceiling.
“People talk about nocries but they need to put their eyes in the right place.”
For now, the focus remains on building synergy, earning VRS points, and securing the sponsorship support needed for consistent LAN attendance.
Outfit 49’s ownership is investing its own money, prioritizing long-term stability, and attempting to build something sustainable within North America.
Thanks to Rakkno for taking the time to speak with ThirdSite.
If you’d like to support Outfit 49, they do have a merch store, with proceeds going directly toward team operations. However, the biggest thing Rakkno emphasized when asked how fans can help is simple engagement. Interacting with their social posts, retweeting, leaving comments, and helping spread the word all increase visibility. That visibility is crucial as the organization looks to secure future sponsorships and continue building long-term stability.