Gaming
esports
Internet cafe to sold-out venues: huNter shows us there’s levels to this
In Unfold: huNter you’ll learn all about one of the most accomplished entry fraggers in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s history: G2 Esports’ Nemanja ‘huNter’ Kovač.
Born in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nemanja ‘huNter’ Kovač started playing games from a very young age, mainly thanks to his mom and dad owning an internet cafe. His cousin Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač, encouraged him to pursue his talent as a professional gamer. Now, more than a decade later, he is one of the most accomplished Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players in the world. In this incredible new episode of the Unfold series, appearing on Red Bull TV, huNter tells us about his humble beginnings, his drive and the joy of playing with his cousin.
6 min
Unfold huNter
How G2 Esports gamers huNter and his cousin Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač rose to the top.
Humble beginnings
In Unfold, huNter tells us that it all started in his parent’s internet cafe, where both he and NiKo would frequently play in tournaments organised there. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a region facing economic challenges, the concept of making a career playing video games seemed far-fetched, and was viewed with even more scepticism than in most places.
It’s no surprise, then, that huNter’s parents were unfamiliar with esports, and unsure of its potential as a career. But when huNter got his first professional contract this all changed, and they were happy for him: “not because they were expecting me to succeed and make a living from esports or anything else. At the beginning for them, it was just a business. They did their best and always supported me in everything I did in life.”
NiKo was the first of the two to pursue a career in professional Counter-Strike but encouraged his cousin to do the same. huNter started his career playing for Jake Bube in 2015, and climbed his way up to G2 Esports in four years, joining them in August 2019.
Playing with NiKo
Shortly after huNter joined G2 Esports, they started winning and placing extremely high in the tournaments that they joined, claiming the Champions Cup, BLAST Premier and a second-place finish at the IEM World Championship all in a two-year timeframe. G2 Esports were on fire, and then in October 2020, his cousin NiKo joined the team.
“I’ve always wanted to play professional Counter-Strike with my cousin NiKo”, huNter tells us, and adds, “my dream has been accomplished”. huNter imagined it a little differently than how it’s happening right now. Due to the current restrictions, it’s not possible to play in front of massive crowds in sold-out stadiums, but, he says, “For now it's a great feeling having him in the same team, on the same server at the same time and hearing his voice while playing.”
huNter tells us that he and his cousin played a lot of Counter-Strike before, but they have only played together in official games for the Bosnia and Herzegovina National team. “Back in the days in CS 1.6, we were playing events together, but in CS:GO, before NiKo signed for G2, we were just playing some minor Faceit tournaments with friends, etc. We were having fun, nothing much more than that,” he explains.
Now that his dream has finally come true, his view of NiKo hasn’t really changed much. While they are playing in official matches or practising, they respect each other as team-mates. “I wouldn't say we're closer than we used to be, but we spend more time together, that's for sure. Of course, it feels beautiful to play with a brother in the same team.”
Adding new players to a roster can make or break a team. The times where teams would completely rotate rosters on a tournament basis seem to be a thing of the past. As such, it can be hard for teams to adapt to a new player’s play style and their quirks. huNter admits that they’re still in the process of ironing out their playstyle, but he says: “We are ready to do everything for each other inside and outside of the game, so being on the same page and complementing each other will not be a problem.”
The future
huNter doesn’t really have any big personal goals lined up for 2021, with his eyes firmly on team glory: “For me, the most important thing is to accomplish victories. If we are winning as a team, I will be happy as an individual as well and the reward will come.” He says that he’s always thinking about the next step, the next tournament, the next game and the next opponent.
For more awesome insight into huNter’s life, make sure to check out the Unfold video above, and catch a never-before-seen glimpse at G2’s star entry fragger, when he’s not dominating teams in Counter-Strike.
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