The Vancouver Titans of the Overwatch League released an open letter to their fans earlier today stating that they were parting ways with all their players and their coach. They will go forward in signing a new roster, which, according to ESPN, will consist of players from the Contenders team Second Wind.
The following players and coaches are all leaving Vancouver:
- HyoJong “HakSal” Kim
- Minsoo “Seominsoo” Seo
- Seongjun “Slime” Kim
- Chunghee “Stitch” Lee
- Juseok “Twilight” Lee
- JeHong “RyuJeHong” Yu
- Chan Hyeong “Fissure” Baek
- Yangwon “Yang1” Kweon (coach)
- Jae Hong “Andante” Hwang (coach)
Why are the Titans breaking up?
At the start of the season, the Vancouver Titans were located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Once the coronavirus threat arose, players moved back to South Korea. They encountered issues practicing because they could not get a team house. The players boycotted and refused to play in Overwatch League games.
As the rift continued to grow between the organization and its players, the Overwatch League moved their games back. The two parties couldn’t come to an agreement, however, which led to the split between the players and the organization that happened earlier today.
What’s next for the Titans?
The Vancouver Titans plan to sign players from the Contenders scene. ESPN states that they will sign the following players: William “Caden” Loll, Abtin “ShRedLock” Shirvani, Dalton “Dalton” Bennyhoff, Colin “Higan” Arai, and Randal “Roolf” Stark. Each of these players is eligible to compete in the Overwatch League.
As far as scheduling goes, Vancouver is supposed to play on May 9 and 10. It will be interesting to see how the Overwatch League handles the situation and how long it will take Vancouver to get their new roster ready to play.
A letter to our fans: https://t.co/NeceYxuryX pic.twitter.com/mFSBa50Kpj
— Vancouver Titans (@VancouverTitans) May 6, 2020
The Titans letter concludes its statement with, “We look forward to announcing our new roster of Titans in the coming days. We hope that you join us as we move into this new chapter of Vancouver esports.” For the sake of their fans, hopefully they can figure things out.
Disclosure: The Vancouver Titans are owned in part by Enthusiast Gaming, the publisher of Daily Esports.
