ForZe shuts down its VALORANT division

ForZe has pulled the plug on its VALORANT project and left the competitive scene for an indefinite period, the Russian organization announced today.

The decision to leave Riot Games’ FPS comes after One Breath Gaming bought out three out of forZe’s players in late September, thus taking forZe’s slot in the EMEA Last Chance Qualifier. As of today, the remaining players, Vyacheslav “Art1st” Lyadnov and Dmitry “SUYGETSU” Ilyushin, and coach Vladimir “Jil” Yasevich are now free to pursue career opportunities elsewhere.

ForZe had been investing in VALORANT since the early stages of the game, having put a team together in May 2020. They most notably won First Strike CIS over Team Singularity in December 2020 and most recently won CIS VCT Stage Three Challengers Two in July. The team, however, earned a top-eight placing in the EMEA Stage Three Challengers Playoffs and missed the opportunity to play at Masters Three Berlin.

The Russian organization is one of the first to drop its entire roster completely now that VALORANT Champions is near and the competitive calendar is finishing. It’s unclear if forZe will try to come back in 2022 with a new lineup or just focus on other esports titles. ForZe has teams competing in CS:GO and FIFA.

The EMEA LCQ will take place between Oct. 10 to 17 and will see G2, Team Liquid, SuperMassive Blaze, Oxygen Esports, Futbolist, Guild, One Breath Gaming, and Anubis Gaming fight for a ticket to VALORANT Champions, the most prestigious tournament of the year.

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