Aurora’s ongoing rebuild gathers momentum as long-standing IGL MAJ3R takes a break from his professional career.
Aurora have announced that Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli is stepping down from the active roster and taking a break from his professional career to spend more time with his family.
MAJ3R’s own statement posted to X said that whilst it wasn’t an easy decision to “take a pause in competing[…] being a dad and a husband is very important to me, and this is where I want to focus more in the future.”
The organization stated that MAJ3R will “continue to be a part of the Aurora Gaming family” and that his new role would be announced soon.
The news brings to an end MAJ3R’s over year-long stint as the captain of Aurora’s starting five, which began in April 2025 when he was signed to the organization alongside Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın, Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş and Özgür “woxic” Eker.
Having established themselves as a top-tier side in CS towards the end of their time on Eternal Fire, MAJ3R’s team continued to make regular deep runs in elite competitions upon joining Aurora.
Their best results came in a run to second-place at Esports World Cup 2025 and ESL Pro League Season 23, a top-four finish at the recent IEM Cologne Major, and a trophy-winning campaign at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025. The latter result was of particular significance as it ended MAJ3R’s long wait for a notable trophy in CS:GO or CS2.
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Aurora bid farewell to Fabre
MAJ3R’s step back from the starting lineup represents the next move in what seems to be a significant rebuild for Aurora, after the recent departure of coach Sezgin “Fabre” Kalaycı and with rumours abounding that the team are set to go international.
Aurora are left with:
Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş Özgür “woxic” Eker Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın Caner “soulfly” Kesici
