WISE Ventures, the parent company of Call of Duty League team Minnesota ROKKR, have entered competitive Valorant under the name Version1.
Version1, then using the name Never Done, began competing in early January at the Pittsburgh Knights Monthly Gauntlet. They finished first in Group F before steamrolling the competition in the playoff bracket. After beating Hollywoods Hooliganz, Spot Up and Team Serenity, they went on to beat Phoenix1 in the grand finals. Version1 was then invited to the first qualifier of the North American Champions Tour event. An solid start to the tournament ended early when they lost 1-2 to FaZe Clan in the round of 32.
According to a press release about WISE Ventures’ rebranding, the organization always planned to shift away from its initial, temporary name. After establishing a fan base with the ROKKR, the company said its goal is to “unify under a permanent brand identity to streamline operations and facilitate continued growth.”
Version1 sign two members from Gen.G Esports
Now that the first qualifier of the Valorant Champions Tour has ended, several teams are beginning to make roster changes. After losing to AndBox in round 16 of the open qualifier, T1 released star players Braxton “Brax” Pierce and Keven “AKZ” Larivière from the roster.
It's the beginning . . . #NeverDone https://t.co/zlJTvzgx0R #V1VAL #V1RL pic.twitter.com/5lGP8XTjyn
— Version1 (@version1gg) February 9, 2021
Version1 consists of Keven “PLAYER1” Champagne, Loic “effys” Sauvageau, Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, Erik “penny” Penny and Anthony “vanity” Malaspina, with Ian “Immi” Harding as head coach.
PLAYER1 and effys both played for Gen.G when their roster first formed in April of 2020. Since leaving, the two have been replaced by Shawn “Shawn” O’Riley and Kenneth “koosta” Suen on the main roster. Effys bounced around to several teams before landing on Never Done with former teammate PLAYER1.
Since Version1 was unable to qualify for the closed qualifier. they will have to fight their way through the next open qualifier on Feb. 11 – Feb. 14. To keep up with how Version1 does in the upcoming tournament, stay tuned to Daily Esports.
