Luminosity Gaming exit VALORANT

Luminosity Gaming have announced today that they will be leaving the competitive VALORANT scene. The news is made all the more shocking considering the organization is currently fielding a team competing at VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 2 - Main Event, the biggest tournament in North America.

Luminosity is a name that has been around since the beginning of the game almost two years ago, entering the competitive scene with the signing of the MIXUP VALORANT lineup in August 2020. That squad featured names that still play at the elite level, including Brenden "stellar" McGrath, who now plays for 100 Thieves and Alex "aproto" Protopapas, who is a part of Ghost Gaming.

Since then, the North American organization has been in the upper echelons of regional competition, placing 5th-6th at VCT 2021 - Stage 1 - North America Masters, 3rd at VCT 2021 - Stage 3 - North America - Challengers 2, and 5th-6th at VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 1 - Main Event earlier this year. While they’ve never reached the heights of international competition or even a domestic VCT trophy, their consistency and ability to stay with the big boys despite going through multiple roster changes is remarkable and rare to see.

While Luminosity Gaming’s statement said that the team will compete under the organization’s banner during Stage 2, the future of this lineup past that point remains unclear. The statement also acknowledged the possibility of a return to VALORANT in 2023 as part of Riot’s planned franchise structure, details of which will be revealed later down the line.

The exact reasons for the decision were not revealed, although Luminosity Gaming’s parent company, Enthusiast Gaming, has reported poor financial performance in 2022. Published reports showed losses of $8.6 million in the first quarter of the year, following a $41.6 million net loss in 2021. The Canadian parent company also owns Vancouver Titans from the Overwatch League and Seattle Surge from the Call of Duty League, and might be looking to cut down on its esports portfolio for the time being.

Luminosity Gaming were: