Richard Papillon (born 27 May 1992), better known as shox, is a French professional Counter-Strike player. He is considered one of the greatest players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive history, known for his high skill and longevity in the scene, and featured in HLTV's Top 20 Players list from 2013 to 2016. He has won over a dozen international tournaments, as well as one Major Championship: DreamHack Winter 2014.
Early life
Shox began playing Counter-Strike when he was nine years old, and was introduced to the series by his older brother. His parents allowed him to take a year off from studies to pursue the game which led to him joining his first successful teams in Counter-Strike: Source around 2007. His handle referenced a model of Nike shoes that were popular at the time.
Career
Shox is best known for playing for a number of French Counter-Strike teams, including VeryGames, Titan, Team LDLC, EnVyUs, G2, and Team Vitality. Shox began playing competitive Counter-Strike in 2006 but made his name in Counter-Strike: Source with French squads that dominated the game. Shox was a part of the VeryGames team that won ESWC 2011, his first Major. He rejoined VeryGames after Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released, becoming the best player in the world in late 2013 and early 2014.
In 2021 he joined a non-French team for the first time, signing with Team Liquid. Just six months later, he was moved to the bench after disappointing results. He then signed with a Norwegian organization, Apeks, in August 2022.
References
