Over the last year, Fnatic ran the international competitive VALORANT scene, winning two of the three major tournaments of 2023. To ensure their success going forward, the organization has locked down one of its most important members.
Fnatic has officially signed Jake “Boaster” Howlett to an important contract extension that will keep him on the VALORANT team until 2025, the org announced today. As one of the best shotcallers and in-game leaders, Boaster has been an essential part of helping the roster thrive in EMEA, and his presence should provide a huge boost of confidence for fans.
In 2023, Fnatic dominated the competition with tournament wins at the 2023 LOCK//IN in São Paulo and VCT Masters Tokyo, while coming in second for their regional competition after a surprising four-game series loss to Team Liquid. Even still, Fnatic were considered the best team at the tournament by far and they showed it by sweeping through their first three series.
After destroying ZETA DIVISION and Bilibili Gaming without dropping a game at Champions 2023, the EMEA powerhouse shocked the world when they dropped to the lower bracket after a sweep at the hands of LOUD. It was a stunning result that showed just how vulnerable Fnatic could actually be, especially after looking untouchable over the course of the year.
Eventually, Fnatic would, once again, lose to LOUD in the lower bracket, sending them home from Champions much earlier than fans anticipated. Overall, however, it was a very successful and tiring season for Fnatic off the back of some spectacular play from their superstar core and some incredible leadership from Boaster.
Looking ahead, the team must have their sights set on greatness again, especially when it comes to winning their region and taking home more hardware for their trophy case in 2024.