Crashies will be one of Fnatic’s starting players in 2025.
Fnatic signed Austin "crashies" Roberts for the 2025 VALORANT Champions Tour, the organization announced this Wednesday, Dec. 11.
The signing of crashies comes as a surprise to many Fnatic fans and the VALORANT community in general.
The community hoped that Leo "Leo" Jannesson would recover from his health issues and return to Fnatic's active lineup, but the Swede still needs some time off the server, according to Fnatic team director Colin "CoJo" Johnson.
CoJo said that Leo is still a member of the team, but it's "very hard" to predict his return at the moment. So, crashies will fill Leo's role until he's ready.
Crashies is one of the most prominent VALORANT players in North America and will play in the EMEA region for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old was part of the victorious Envy/OpTic Gaming roster that also featured the likes of Pujan "FNS" Mehta and Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker, and recently plied his trade with NRG.
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Who will be in Fnatic's VALORANT lineup in 2025?
Fnatic will most likely field crashies, Jake "Boaster" Howlett, Emir "Alfajer" Beder, Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov, and Kajetan "kaajak" Haremski in 2025.
The organization signed both kaajak and the up-and-coming player Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu in October after the departure of Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev to Vitality.
However, as Sayonara is just 16 years old, kaajak will be the one on the starting lineup alongside Boaster, Alfajer, Chronicle, and crashies.
CoJo said he expects crashies to have a big impact on the team as he'll bring his "veteran leadership and mid-rounding" to Fnatic.
Crashies will probably make his debut under Fnatic's banner this Saturday, Dec. 14 against ZETA DIVISION at the Riot Games ONE PRO INVITATIONAL in Yokohama, Japan.
