by Days after releasing their second Dota 2 roster, Gambit Esports announced that it would be parting ways with their Apex Legends roster.
The European organization made the revelation via their official Twitter page. While they thanked the players and said that they are now free agents, they also revealed that they would continue to play together.
“Today we bid farewell to #GambitApex. Players enter free agency but will continue competing together. Over the past three years our squad proved to be one of the best in Europe and the world. Thank you for everything and good luck Artyco11, leogri3x6 & hxrdecki.”
Gambit undoubtedly had one of the best teams in Europe and the world. While there is a lot of potential there, participation in major tournaments might be difficult as most games do not allow players representing Russian organizations to compete.
Hence, the decision to release the roster and give them a chance at furthering their career without restrictions. With this news, Gambit, who once had active rosters in Fortnite and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, are left with only their Valorant team.
The Apex team was put together in 2020. The three-man squad led the organization to several successful campaigns in their time together under the Gambit banner.
Konstantin “Hardecki” Kozlov joined the team in May 2020, and this represents his longest run with a single team. The 19-year-old has played for five other teams before Gambit, with none lasting for more than three months.
In November 2019, Leonid “Leogri3x6” Grishin joined Gambit from ROFLANQ. Although all team members joined in 2019, leogri3x6 was the newest member of the team.
Artur “Artyco” Tishchenko, the Ukrainian on the team, played for only the Fire Beavers before joining Gambit.
In light of their release, Hardecki took to Twitter to call for consideration from other Apex organizations. He stated that they are looking to compete for the team at the ALGS Championship and future events.
“ex-Gambit(Players) is looking for a new org to represent on Championship and future Apex Legends Esports tournaments.”
It has been a rough ride for the players since Russia invaded Ukraine. The team had to compete as “Players” in the AL Global Series Split 2 Pro League, with two of their players also having to move to Turkey.
Despite the disruptions, they managed a second-place finish out of 39 participants and sealed their Split 2 playoffs berth.
Unfortunately, the setbacks were too much, resulting in the team finishing 23rd in the LAN event in Stockholm. They had to substitute for Artyco, who was unable to leave Ukraine due to the country’s refusal to allow adult males to leave.
That will also affect the team, who is due to compete at the ALGS 2022 Championship. They sealed their spot in the tournament after accumulating enough playoff points and will be one of 40 teams fighting for a larger piece of the $2 million prize pool.
Players might yet again have to find a replacement for Artyco for the Championship scheduled to take place at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, USA. The tournament will start on July 7 and run through to July 10.
