It is a sad day for Fnatic as we will be parting ways with Oz and aLive, both players have been key members of our StarCraft II squad for while now. Our Chief Gaming Officer Patrik 'cArn' Sättermon has released a statement which covers the reasons for the departures as well as the new focus for Fnatic and StarCraft II.
Today we are announcing the departure of our two Korean Starcraft 2 players, aLive and Oz and the closure of our Korean SC2 operations for the foreseeable future.
After officially shutting down our Gaming facility in Seoul, South Korea in the end of 2012, we actively searched for alternatives to accommodate our Starcraft 2 players at our desired investment level. Regretfully we were unable to find suitable accommodation for them to continue their professional careers in SC2 with Fnatic but also to allow them to improve with the right training facilities. Our aim for 2013 has been to refocus our efforts on our European expansion plans and cut back on the significant investment into Korea (Over 250,000 USD in 2012).
Han "'aLive' Lee Seok and Kim 'Oz' Hak Soo both teamed up with our ranks in 2012 and have achieved great results representing the black and orange banner, including aLive winning the IPL4 title, and amazing runs by Oz at the MLGs with a bronze medal at the Summer Arena.
On behalf of Fnatic, I would like to thank aLive and Oz for their great attitudes and loyalty they have shown our team the past year. I would like to wish the both of you the best of luck; we will eagerly follow their future gaming careers as they have much potential.
We understand that this news may come as a shock for many Fnatic and Starcraft 2 fans out there. As a team and most importantly a business you are forced to take important decisions to realign your focus and circumstances, in an industry that is constantly in change. Korea is not where we see the most potential in Esports and thus our goals were misaligned.
In only a weeks time however we are to launch a new Gaming House. This time we will be opening this top notch gaming facility on European soil in order to benefit from closer roots to our management, something we are certain will result in a more productive practice environment, as well as greater content and insights for our followers and fans.
In terms of our future in Starcraft 2 I can ensure you that we are still fans and supporters of this game. For now we urge you to support our players: NightEnD, Harstem and Naama, but expect future non-korean editions in the near future.
Finally we would once again like to thank our long time supporters SteelSeries, MSI, EIZO and Twitch who believe in our mission to be the best platform for a professional gamers success, in the world.
Under the Fnatic banner aLive achieved a lot of success, his victory at IPL 4 was the highlight of his time here. Not only did he perform well individually but his contribution to team leagues were a big reason to us having success as a team in Korea. Not only was aLive a great player, but he was a great teammate. He had this to say about his time in Fnatic:
Han 'aLive' Lee Seok I have experienced a lot in the last year while on Fnatic, and was particularly happy to have won my first tournament with the team. While I am sad that a new contract could not be agreed upon I would like to express my gratitude to everyone on the team for their constant support throughout my time with Fnatic, and wish the team all the best for the future.
Oz joined us a little bit later than aLive but he quickly became one of our ace players along with aLive. Individually he achieved a number of successful tournaments, such as MLG vs PL coming in 2nd place, RitMix S3 which he won, as well as performing well at MLG. Oz was a great teammate and a key component to our success in Korea and will be greatly missed. Here's what Oz had to say about his time in Fnatic:
Kim 'Oz' Hak Soo I was very happy throughout my time on Fnatic, and it was an honour to be with great players and managers. I would like to thank all the players and managers for all their hard work over the last year, and I wish only the very best for Fnatic
In the statement from Patrik, he spoke about future announcements. We will start by introducing two new European academy players tomorrow. Stay tuned to Fnatic.com for the announcement!
Yeah, a couple of weeks ago one of the FNATIC guys insisted on reddit that aLive was definitely still on the team, kinda useless now as they dropped them anyway a few weeks later, as everyone expected after their announcement that they'd switch focus to Europe.
haha saw both threads on the side and was like "wow, people trying to race to break the news to TL". refreshed, and both threads were closed for being duplicates XD.
Anyways, huge blow to Fnatic, losing their only Koreans. Maybe they are trying to shift back to the EU scene completely, but lets just hope that is the case rather than them shutting down for good. :/
Saw it coming after Rain retired and Byul left the team. Hope that Alive and Oz find teams as both of them are very good terran and protoss players respectively.
Was gonna say... I cant post about this ssince both were closed haha.
FXOoz once again? They certainly have more prestige now without oz, but it would be a great boost for their roster. Probanly foreign team though, perhaps complexity picks him up to bolster protoss lineup?
What a sad day, but considering they closed their Korean teamhouse, it was coming. aLive and Oz are great players, maybe inconsistent, but great players nonetheless. I hope they get picked up by good teams. GL to them and Fnatic.
On February 12 2013 09:19 RiceAgainst wrote: What a sad day, but considering they closed their Korean teamhouse, it was coming. aLive and Oz are great players, maybe inconsistent, but great players nonetheless. I hope they get picked up by good teams. GL to them and Fnatic.
Tbh in their current state they'll probably struggle to get a top tier contract, it's not like oz or alive are bad players but well they haven't been good in a looooooong time imo the series between alive and trap will probably determine his employability as for oz I'm not so sure.
I could see alive going to eg. He seems to be rebounding back and eg needs a reliable terrain. I either way best of luck to both. I also am wondering who the new pickups are
I wonder if either will go to a KESPA team now. Oz would be a great pick up he's shown he can be a strong leader for teams in addition to being a great player.
I hope Oz can become a player of consequence again. His leaving FXO for Fnatic might be the worst move any SC2 player has ever made from a performance standpoint.
On February 12 2013 09:27 Tidus Mino wrote: It seems alot of people seem to be missing the 'picking up 2 new EU players tomorrow' section, which is what I am more interested in!
Fnatic probably has plenty to spare now that they've reinvested from Korea so they'll probably go for some big ones maybe naniwa and cloud or sase?
After officially shutting down our Gaming facility in Seoul, South Korea in the end of 2012, we actively searched for alternatives to accommodate our Starcraft 2 players at our desired investment level. Regretfully we were unable to find suitable accommodation for them to continue their professional careers in SC2 with Fnatic but also to allow them to improve with the right training facilities. Our aim for 2013 has been to refocus our efforts on our European expansion plans and cut back on the significant investment into Korea (Over 250,000 USD in 2012).
On February 12 2013 09:27 Tidus Mino wrote: It seems alot of people seem to be missing the 'picking up 2 new EU players tomorrow' section, which is what I am more interested in!
Fnatic probably has plenty to spare now that they've reinvested from Korea so they'll probably go for some big ones maybe naniwa and cloud or sase?
it says " academy " aka b team getting paid nothing
On February 12 2013 09:27 Tidus Mino wrote: It seems alot of people seem to be missing the 'picking up 2 new EU players tomorrow' section, which is what I am more interested in!
Fnatic probably has plenty to spare now that they've reinvested from Korea so they'll probably go for some big ones maybe naniwa and cloud or sase?
I think nightend and harstem do not really appreciate naniwa, at least that's what i recall from their interviews. Sase, why not.
On February 12 2013 09:27 Tidus Mino wrote: It seems alot of people seem to be missing the 'picking up 2 new EU players tomorrow' section, which is what I am more interested in!
Fnatic probably has plenty to spare now that they've reinvested from Korea so they'll probably go for some big ones maybe naniwa and cloud or sase?
It says Academy, so I guess they are going to try and develop 2 players, which is a better move
Saw this coming back when alive changed his name on twitter and a fnatic guy claiming up and down that didn't mean alive was leaving fnatic. Writing was on the wall ever since that day.
On February 12 2013 09:27 Tidus Mino wrote: It seems alot of people seem to be missing the 'picking up 2 new EU players tomorrow' section, which is what I am more interested in!
Fnatic probably has plenty to spare now that they've reinvested from Korea so they'll probably go for some big ones maybe naniwa and cloud or sase?
I think nightend and harstem do not really appreciate naniwa, at least that's what i recall from their interviews. Sase, why not.
Well sase and cloud is still possible. Then again bischu and cyto are still teamless afaik so it could be them and bischu did leave dig recently.
After officially shutting down our Gaming facility in Seoul, South Korea in the end of 2012, we actively searched for alternatives to accommodate our Starcraft 2 players at our desired investment level. Regretfully we were unable to find suitable accommodation for them to continue their professional careers in SC2 with Fnatic but also to allow them to improve with the right training facilities. Our aim for 2013 has been to refocus our efforts on our European expansion plans and cut back on the significant investment into Korea (Over 250,000 USD in 2012).
...
What in the world are they spending 250k on????
Housing plus salary plus..... many repairs for the house?
On February 12 2013 09:33 Gamegene wrote: these guys haven't done anything really notable in a longggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg time.
Your definition of long is quite strange, as I recall IPL4 and GSL 2 quite vividly and have only been following SC2 for less than a year.
After officially shutting down our Gaming facility in Seoul, South Korea in the end of 2012, we actively searched for alternatives to accommodate our Starcraft 2 players at our desired investment level. Regretfully we were unable to find suitable accommodation for them to continue their professional careers in SC2 with Fnatic but also to allow them to improve with the right training facilities. Our aim for 2013 has been to refocus our efforts on our European expansion plans and cut back on the significant investment into Korea (Over 250,000 USD in 2012).
...
What in the world are they spending 250k on????
Housing plus salary plus..... many repairs for the house?
all in all, it seems like there is a gradual decline in the pro gaming scene. If we look at the actual number of active pro teams,its actually less and less. The boost comes from kespa teams
Welp... It really sucks to see such a talented organization close it's SC2 Korean division but at least they're not going away for good. Good luck with your European division Fnatic!
After officially shutting down our Gaming facility in Seoul, South Korea in the end of 2012, we actively searched for alternatives to accommodate our Starcraft 2 players at our desired investment level. Regretfully we were unable to find suitable accommodation for them to continue their professional careers in SC2 with Fnatic but also to allow them to improve with the right training facilities. Our aim for 2013 has been to refocus our efforts on our European expansion plans and cut back on the significant investment into Korea (Over 250,000 USD in 2012).
...
What in the world are they spending 250k on????
Housing plus salary plus..... many repairs for the house?
On February 12 2013 09:33 Gamegene wrote: these guys haven't done anything really notable in a longggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg time.
Your definition of long is quite strange, as I recall IPL4 and GSL 2 quite vividly and have only been following SC2 for less than a year.
a little less than a year is a lifetime in esports
As much as I like Fnatic, less than a year basically encompasses Oz's and Alive's entire time on the team. They were both playing at a very high Code S level when they joined and kinda fell off cliffs. Alive did get a few wins very early on while he was still peaking, but overall it's probably good for both of their careers that this happened. They need to get back to places where they can perform "notably".
Man. Oz and aLive some of my favorite starcraft players on the same time =/. Hopefully they find new teams quickly and ones that can give the support and care they deserve. Good luck to them both!
I'm glad to see that they at least parted amicably, though I'm still sad to see it happen.
Every week this market proves its decline, I hope HOTS makes it better. Being a pro gamer with a contract today seems to be an exception considering the number of excellent free agents available. It must be terribly hard to justify a salary at this point.
I hope TL and EG are doing better than I imagine because if these 2 show any sign of weakness it's gg.
people are getting sick of too much sc2 and the entire korean hype. koreans dominate the scene and im glad to see that fnatic is choosing to focus on europe
once Fnatic closed their Korean house this was to be expected. I think they will find teams quickly. Wouldn't mind EG picking them up, would really bolster their proleague line up. Hwanni is already familiar with them and Puma is good friends with them as well.
On February 12 2013 11:21 Parcelleus wrote: Oz is Tier 1 Korean player so he will have no trouble finding a good team.
aLive is not far behind so he will also grab a good team , I forsee.
aLive got knocked out of the GSL and requalified in one season... He also has a championship under his belt... Oz... Dropped out of the GSL 2 seasons ago and has yet to requalify... You might have them mixed up... but yeah, both are great players. If they don't find new teams right away I'll be disappointed in the teams for not picking them up.
Damn it, I saw this coming, but kept denying it. I really liked the Fnatic team despite not many big results(other than IPL4). I'm a big fan of aLive, so I'll be rooting for him to find a new team soon!
Hope aLive and Oz can find nice new homes; Fnatic, as a foreign team, didn't really do much to expose their personality or talent to be honest. I think Azubu / Axiom / or coL will pick them up, leaning towards Azubu.
How... "surprising". When your "desired investment level in Korea" is zero, it really does not "come as a shock", dear Fnatic managers. I'm already looking forward to how having the remaining three European players near your offices in London will suddenly make them perform so much better.
I am picking aLive joining TL or EG, I noticed on the video between proleague matches that one of the interviews with Jaedong has aLive playing in the background!
Oz will go to Startale, aLive will go to MVP. Callin' it.
Why MVP? They just lack a truly solid Terran. Keen had a short showing of brilliance in the last season and is now fading again by the looks of things.
I used to like Fnatic but then after the whole thing with Moon I was sort of meh about them. With aLive and Oz gone I don't really have much interest left in them sadly =/ gl to Oz and aLive.
On February 12 2013 14:41 Proseat wrote: How... "surprising". When your "desired investment level in Korea" is zero, it really does not "come as a shock", dear Fnatic managers. I'm already looking forward to how having the remaining three European players near your offices in London will suddenly make them perform so much better.
Godspeed, Fnatic, and thanks for all the fish.
it's not just about performing, it's about marketing, video interviews, interaction with sponsors. In their newspost about the termination of the Korean house, they said that there was basically zero material coming out of the Korean house after they lost Hwanni, as they could not have a management representative there, and there was pretty much no communication except for when cArn (Swedish CS1.6 legend and current Chief Gaming Officer of Fnatic) was there. If Fnatic can pick some high flying Europeans they'll be back.
aLive was is really close with Heart, so Axioms a possibility. EGs always a possibility due to his ex-TSL roots. It'd be interesting if both of them went to FXO seeing as their both former fOu players.
On February 12 2013 09:16 Dodgin wrote: those last three fnatic fans on TL just had their hearts broken
The 7 nightend, 2 harstem fans and the 4 people who remember naama are still there bro.
Nightend definitely has more fans than that, Harstem as well, being one of the best players in his nation. Naama.. got to feel sorry for that guy for being scammed by Virus...
edit: But yeah, those are only the fans of the players. Whether they are the fans of the team remains to be seen. I don't think a team can be popular just buying a lot of popular players. They need to prove that they are a good team, either by showing that they can produce great players themselves, or by supporting their players, and the latter one includes more than just monetary support. So I am really looking forward to Fnatic's plans.
On February 12 2013 09:16 Dodgin wrote: those last three fnatic fans on TL just had their hearts broken
The 7 nightend, 2 harstem fans and the 4 people who remember naama are still there bro.
Nightend definitely has more fans than that, Harstem as well, being one of the best players in his nation. Naama.. got to feel sorry for that guy for being scammed by Virus...
edit: But yeah, those are only the fans of the players. Whether they are the fans of the team remains to be seen. I don't think a team can be popular just buying a lot of popular players. They need to prove that they are a good team, either by showing that they can produce great players themselves, or by supporting their players, and the latter one includes more than just monetary support.
Agreed with the edit. I've always been disappointed by fnatic.sc2. Why disappointed ? Because I liked the organisation since the beginning: vo0, the cs 1.6 guys, their euro wc3 team (rotterdam, xyligan, creo). I'm not interested in LoL but I know they've a top team apparently, as it should be. Yet the sc2 always failed to keep me interested, although I like Naama a lot for his very special style :D
It sucks to hear about those 250k "lost" in that korean project, I sure hope it won't hurt them too much because fnatic is an old (for esports standards) and proven organization.
I really hope heart of the swarm gives a big lift to SC2 because even though I wasnt worried at all during the "sky is falling/Destiny" article, this news combined with the terrible streaming numbers (losing to minecraft regularly???) combined with so many teams falling apart or refocusing, and Koreans getting dropped teamless left and right is pretty sad and troublesome.
This whole greater potential of esports outside of Korea for SC2 is such a joke. No one takes you seriously unless you can compete with the best. EG and TL seem to be the only two teams who really get it and sustain. Great respect for them for keeping it going because I honestly think sc2 would be falling apart outside of korea without them.
When Oz left FXO he said that he only had 1 year to play the game before military. So he decided to join Fnatic to be able to fly to as many foreign tournaments as possible because Fnatic could fly him more than FXO could.
So I think Oz will go to the military now and not join a team.
On February 12 2013 23:04 DrPandaPhD wrote: When Oz left FXO he said that he only had 1 year to play the game before military. So he decided to join Fnatic to be able to fly to as many foreign tournaments as possible because Fnatic could fly him more than FXO could.
So I think Oz will go to the military now and not join a team.
I hope not, Oz is so nice and awesome. I really wanna meet him in real life once.
On February 12 2013 09:21 berf wrote: The first writer to find an alternative to "part ways" is going to be an esports legend
QFT
Getting sick of cliche statements in e-sports. Not only in press releases, everywhere, from game casts to interviews too. Always the same and the same. Probably the only nice exception is TL previews/recaps, those are always very well written, I enjoy reading them far more than actually watching these games.
On February 12 2013 09:21 elfonse wrote: I could see alive going to eg. He seems to be rebounding back and eg needs a reliable terrain. I either way best of luck to both. I also am wondering who the new pickups are
Well, aLive has been seen hanging around EGTL house, so it seems very likely.
I can't say I am that surprised. aLive mentioned he felt his play slip since he joined Fnatic (and it showed), and I kind of picture both rejoining esf Teams. GL to both.
We'll see what happens to those two. I can't help but feel that Alive has the edge in the open market as a Terran. I have to say I am very happy to see an emphasis on Academy players, Korean style SC2 is fantastic but high level amateur SC2 is so scrappy it is great.
EPT
