Akrew and NYFU set to exit VALORANT

Yet more North American organizations continue to leave the competitive VALORANT scene, as Akrew and NYFU announced their departures today. Akrew CEO Daniel Luu brought the news to fans through a video on Twitter, while NYFU’s Andrew "ShoT UP" Orlowski revealed the decision through a Tweet, both just days after SoaR also left the scene.

Luu elaborated saying that Akrew’s exit was due to not making it into VALORANT’s upcoming franchise league and the uncertainties of the tier 2 scene, which Riot is yet to provide concrete details about. He went on to thank the players and the staff and what they had accomplished since the team’s creation in October of 2021.

Fans can certainly look back fondly upon the lineup’s incredible run during the winter, where they went on to win five tournaments in a row, most notably NSG 2022 Winter Championship - Philadelphia Open LAN and Pittsburgh Knights Monthly Gauntlet 2021 - December: Frozen Gauntlet. In the 2022 VCT season they narrowly missed out on NA Challengers qualification, but still beat the likes of TSM and Kansas City Pioneers, and were a dangerous opponent to face off against.

Other than their current squad, Akrew also previously fielded Eric "Kanpeki" Xu, who later moved to Sentinels, and Corbin Daniel "C0M" Lee, who now plays for Evil Geniuses, both top teams who’ve competed in the most recent VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 2 - Main Event. The organization clearly was a hotbed for elite talent and it will be interesting to see where their lineup, who will now be free agents, end up in the VALORANT scene.