❘ Published: 2023-09-25T15:35:21
❘ Updated: 2023-09-25T15:35:34
Fnatic have announced major changes to their Apex Legends lineup for the upcoming season following a great overall year from their team.
Fnatic announced major changes to its Apex Legends roster following the team’s 26th place finish at the 2023 ALGS Championship. The Japanese team placed first in both divisions of the 2023 APAC North Pro League and finished in the top 10 in the LAN tournaments of Division 1 and Division 2 playoffs, but failed to lift a major trophy this season.
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On September 25, Fnatic revealed that it had benched Takamasa ‘Meltstera’ Kawai, Yuto ‘UmichanLoveti’ Narita, and coach Hiroki ‘Kamaneko’ Kimoto while the organization searches for their replacements. Players and coaches are still under contract with Fnatic, but can look for opportunities on other teams.
“When one story ends, a new one begins. We have become even stronger and we hope to see you in year 4 of ALGS,” Fnatic said in the announcement via machine translation.
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Fnatic is making major changes to its Apex Legends lineup
Both Kamaneko and Meltstera joined Fnatic when the organization returned to Apex Legends in 2022. The European esports organization initially jumped into the Battle Royale circuit in 2019 with two teams, one in Europe and one in North America.
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That project was shelved in 2020, almost a year after it began, and Fnatic eventually returned a few years later with a Japanese team. That starting lineup, featuring Kamaneko and Melstera, managed to place fourth at the 2022 ALGS Championship and showed incredible promise.
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Joe Brady/ALGSFnatic has a thriving fan base in Japan.
However, that team quickly fell apart when one of the founding members, Keita ‘MatsuTasu’ Matsuura, announced in early 2023 that he was open to playing for other teams. Fnatic loaned the player and eventually released him from the team, and then brought in Yuto ‘UmichanLoveti’ Narita as his replacement.
The Apex Legends offseason is currently in full swing, so Fnatic has plenty of time and space to find new players and a head coach for their ALGS Year 4 campaign.
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