EPTIt 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!
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!
