shroud

Ex-pro FPS aim, calm delivery.

Michael Grzesiek (born June 2, 1994), known professionally as Shroud, is a Canadian live streamer and former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player. Born in Toronto, Ontario, to a family of Polish descent, he competed professionally from 2013, joining Cloud9 in 2014 and winning ESL Pro League Season 4 in 2016 before retiring from competition in April 2018. He then became a full-time streamer, ranking among the most-watched personalities on Twitch and later Microsoft's Mixer. Known for his precise aim across first-person shooters, he had 11.1 million Twitch followers as of February 2025.

Biographyedit

Professional Counter-Strike careeredit

Grzesiek began competing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2013, playing for Slow Motion and, in 2014, Exertus eSports, Manajuma, and as a stand-in for compLexity Gaming. He joined Cloud9 in 2014, becoming one of the team's leading riflers, and won ESL Pro League Season 4 in 2016. He officially retired from professional CS:GO on April 18, 2018, to focus on content creation.

Streaming career and platform historyedit

After leaving competition, Grzesiek became a full-time streamer, building a large following on Twitch and reaching 100,000 Twitch subscribers on March 10, 2019. In October 2019 he moved to Microsoft's Mixer platform, and after Mixer shut down on June 22, 2020, he declined an offer from Facebook Gaming. He returned to Twitch on August 11, 2020, with a comeback stream that peaked at more than 516,000 concurrent viewers. As of February 6, 2025, his Twitch channel had 11.1 million followers and his YouTube channel 6.83 million subscribers.

Return to competitionedit

Grzesiek became a prominent player and streamer of Valorant. On July 8, 2022, he briefly returned to professional play, signing with Sentinels for the North American Last Chance Qualifier. A match against The Guard drew a peak of more than 600,000 viewers, reported as a non-international viewership record.

Game developmentedit

In 2022 Grzesiek partnered with Mountaintop Studios as lead advisor and investor on the tactical shooter Spectre Divide. The game's first season was released on February 25, 2025, but the title was shut down on April 12, 2025, which the studio attributed to performance issues.

Awards and recognitionedit

Grzesiek won Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards 2019. At The Streamer Awards, he won Gamer of the Year in 2021 and a Legacy Award in 2024, and was nominated for Best FPS Streamer in both years.

Personal lifeedit

Grzesiek lives in Los Angeles, where he purchased a $9.4 million home in 2021. His girlfriend, Hannah Kennedy, streams under the name Bnans.

shroud: quick facts

How old is shroud?
shroud is 32 years old, born Jun 2, 1994.
What is shroud's real name?
shroud's real name is Michael Grzesiek.
Where is shroud from?
shroud is from Canada.
How tall is shroud?
shroud is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) tall.
What is shroud's net worth?
shroud has an estimated net worth of $40 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026). Net-worth figures for creators are estimates and are not officially confirmed.
When did shroud start streaming?
shroud has been active online since 2013.
What is shroud known for?
shroud is known for Counter-Strike (CS:GO), Cloud9, FPS streaming, and Valorant.
What platform is shroud on?
shroud primarily streams on Twitch.

Compare estimates on the richest streamers ranking.

Career timelineedit

  1. 2013career
    Began pro CS:GO
    Started competing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
  2. 2014membership
    Joined Cloud9
    Joined Cloud9's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster.
  3. 2016event
    ESL Pro League title
    Won ESL Pro League Season 4 with Cloud9.
  4. 2018-04career
    Retired from CS:GO
    Officially retired from professional CS:GO on April 18, 2018.
  5. 2019-10platform
    Moved to Mixer
    Left Twitch for Microsoft's Mixer platform.
  6. 2019-12award
    Content Creator of the Year
    Won Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards 2019.
  7. 2020-06platform
    Mixer shut down
    Mixer closed; he declined an offer from Facebook Gaming.
  8. 2020-08platform
    Returned to Twitch
    Comeback stream peaked at more than 516,000 concurrent viewers.
  9. 2022-07membership
    Signed with Sentinels
    Briefly returned to competition for Valorant's NA Last Chance Qualifier.
  10. 2025-02release
    Spectre Divide Season 1
    Spectre Divide, which he advised and invested in, released its first season.
  11. 2025-04project
    Spectre Divide shut down
    The game was shut down, attributed to performance issues.

Content & loreedit

Signature games

  • CS:GO — his professional game
  • PUBG
  • Valorant
  • Apex Legends
  • Escape from Tarkov
  • Rainbow Six Siege

Career highlights

  • Cloud9 CS:GO — rifler from 2014 to 2017
  • ESL One Cologne 2016 — reached the Major final with Cloud9
  • Full-time streaming (2018) — left pro play for Twitch
  • Sentinels Valorant (2022) — briefly returned to compete in the LCQ
  • 'Human aimbot' — nickname for his renowned aim

Triviaedit

  • He is of Polish descent and was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • His August 2020 comeback stream on Twitch peaked at more than 516,000 concurrent viewers.
  • He won ESL Pro League Season 4 with Cloud9 in 2016.
  • In 2021 he purchased a $9.4 million house in Los Angeles.
  • His girlfriend, Hannah Kennedy, streams as 'Bnans.'
  • He reached 100,000 Twitch subscribers on March 10, 2019.
  • He served as lead advisor and investor on the shooter Spectre Divide, which shut down in April 2025.

See also

References

  1. 1.↑Celebrity Net Worth
  2. 2.Shroud (gamer) — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-08-02)
  3. 3.shroud — official Twitch channel — Twitch (accessed 2026-08-02)
  4. 4.shroud — photograph — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 2026-08-02)