G2 kicks all VALORANT players except ShahZam

G2 kicks all VALORANT players except ShahZam

8. July 2023 by Andrew Williams

G2 Esports announced they will kick their complete VALORANT roster and staff on 7th of June. Interestingly they will keep ShahZaM, but only for a content creater position. This is probably because he is still under contract with G2 and they have to keep him busy somehow.

The line-up has been disbanded due to poor results. As of now, the players are all free agents looking for a new home. The G2 Esports organisation will no longer provide a men’s line-up in the North American VALORANT. G2 has said goodbye to almost all players. The reason for this is the disappointing end of their Challengers season. The team failed to qualify for the VCT Americas Ascension.

G2 says goodbye to VALORANT line-up

G2 Esports is parting ways with Michael “dapr” Gulino , Maxim “wippie” Shepelev, Erik “penny” Penny and 17-year-old Francis “OXY” Hoang, as well as coaches Dani and Immi. The only one staying with the organisation is Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan, probably one of the best known faces of the line-up. He will be working there as a content creator from now on. According to some rumours, however, he wants to get back into the competitive scene.

What happens next for the other players is unclear, but they should certainly find a new home quickly. ShahZaM, wippie and OXY were top players during the Challengers season with good performances. All five players are names to know in the scene and are sure to attract interest from various organisations.

No success at G2

The organisation failed to make it all the way to the VCT Americas. Apparently, G2 failed to get a spot in the Tier 1 league after ex-CEO Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez partied with Andrew Tate, sparking a massive controversy that, among other things, led to Ocelote being kicked out of the organisation.

G2 got off to a good start at the North American Challengers in the first split. However, things then started to falter and in the second split the team could no longer bring the expected success.

G2 made it to the North American Challengers playoffs but was not eligible for the Americas Ascension event. This ended the season for the team as they were unable to play for a place at the VCT Americas. A bitter disappointment for the team and ultimately the end of the lineup.

Whether G2 will continue to compete in NA or not is not clear yet, the organisation has not officially commented on what will happen now. G2 still has the reigning world champion Game Changers lineup, the women of G2 Gozen, under contract.