Zero Five Zero was founded in December of 2000 by Eric “Frost” Laye, leader of Clan Prediction, and Justin “penguin” Mazzeo. Zero Five Zero, or “zfz” for short, began as simply a clever moniker for the Counter-Strike players of #prediction to use on public servers. Over three years and four games later, the letters “zfz” have evolved to become synonymous with consistency, dedication, and professionalism in the online gaming community.

While the team had periods of moderate success and adversity in Counter-Strike and the popular Quake III Arena modification Urban Terror, the core members and core values remained the same. It was almost inevitable, then, that when the Solider of Fortune 2 Multiplayer Test was released in May of 2002, the team was ready to shine.

Zero Five Zero quickly established itself as the premier team in SoF2 by winning the IGL MPTest tournament (and a free server for six months) in July 2002, with a roster that included founders Eric Laye and Justin Mazzeo, long-time friends and Counter-Strike team members Josh “Glock” Walsh and Ryan “Dr. Who” Biggs, and new addition Kevin “Kev” Atkison. The IGL victory only served to inspire the team further for the full retail release of the game.

The team’s unparalleled dedication and attention to detail in preparation for the retail launch allowed them to remain undefeated for an amazing seven months. During this seven month period, zfz’s trademark consistency frustrated opponents and helped bring legitimacy and attention to the previously unheralded Soldier of Fortune 2 community. As a result, the Team Sportscast Network began shoutcasting SoF2 matches, many of which included zfz.

During “the streak,” as it has been referred to in the past, Zero Five Zero participated and emerged victorious in several tournaments, ladders, and leagues. As expected after their strong showing in the MPTest, Zero Five Zero became the Cyberathlete Amateur League’s SoF2 division Champions after advancing through the inaugural season undefeated. The team also advanced up the TeamWarfare SoF2 Ladder undefeated.

During this period, Zero Five Zero also took part in two invitational tournaments, the Ahriman Invitational and IGL’s Only the Best, and went undefeated en route to the championship in both. IGL’s Only the Best tournament was the first tournament that the team participated in which included cash and prizes for winning – another sign of the growing legitimacy of SoF2 as a competitive platform, and Zero Five Zero’s continuing role in that growth.

When the streak finally ended with a 13-12 loss to the Nephilim in the regular season of CAL-Invite in February of 2003, many in the community felt that Zero Five Zero might disband as other extremely successful clans had done after their first big loss. However, the team’s prior experience with adversity and years of friendship and comradery allowed them to move forward without skipping a beat, as they went on to later defeat the same Nephilim team in the semi-finals later that season.

Throughout all this success, Zero Five Zero’s roster maintained relatively stable. However, following the CAL-Invite season, the demands of college and work forced several of the long-standing members into retirement. Again, many in the community felt that Zero Five Zero could not survive with nearly an entirely new lineup and without several of the players who had helped them attain such success to date. Zero Five Zero once again defied expectations, as the team not only survived, but continued to thrive as the core values of consistency, dedication, and professionalism were strongly ingrained in the new members.

Nowhere is the impact of these values more evident than in the team’s performance over time. In over a year of competition, in a variety of ladders, tournaments, and leagues, and against a constantly evolving and improving competitive landscape, never did Zero Five Zero’s SoF2 team fall short of reaching the semi-finals, and only once fell short of reaching the finals.

Zero Five Zero members have also always been encouraged to become stewards of the game and of competitive gaming in general. Over the years, the contributions of zfz members have made considerable and lasting impacts on the communities of which they have been a part. During their Quake III Arena and Counter-Strike days, team founders Eric Laye and Justin Mazzeo were both columnists for eSports-America.com, one of the leading competitive gaming websites at the time. Mazzeo later continued to write for PlanetSoldier.com, becoming the first competitive gaming reporter for Soldier of Fortune 2. He also went on briefly to become a DJ for the Team Sportscast Network; where, in addition to shoutcasting matches, he joined forces with Wonderdog and hosted a weekly community-related show called “SoF2 Insider.” SoF2 team member Adar “Echo” Dembo became a Cyberathlete Amateur League admin for Soldier of Fortune 2. The team as a whole also made a number of contributions to the community, including consulting on the creation of the competitive modification Mandown, and meeting with SoF2 creator Ryan “Apoxol” Dube and other members of the development team at QuakeCon 2002 in Dallas, Texas.

Fragging it up with Bryan "Apoxol" Dube

Hanging with Gary Coleman

Zero Five Zero’s success in Soldier of Fortune 2 extended to their current game of choice, Call of Duty. While many doubted that the team could make the transition from a “smaller-market” game in SoF2 to a much larger and therefore more competitive game like CoD, those who had followed the team for years knew what to expect. The same formula which had helped them achieve extraordinary success in Soldier of Fortune 2 has continued to help the team achieve success first in Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and later Call of Duty, both on LAN and over the Internet. At QuakeCon 2003, a team which included past, present, and future zfz members, including Frost, Kev, Dr. Who, and SunStyle won the RTCW:ET tournament and the $4000.00 first place cash prize. Zero Five Zero's Call of Duty division is undefeated to date, and recently finished on top of the winners' bracket at CyberXGaming LAN in Las Vegas, Nevada before the tournament was unexpectedly cut short. The team is currently participating in the Cyberathlete Amateur League's first season for CoD, and remains undefeated there as well.

No one can be sure what the future holds for competitive Call of Duty, but one thing remains certain – Zero Five Zero will be at the forefront with the same consistency, dedication, and professionalism that the gaming community has come to expect.

KG -- 1-26-2004