Another domino in the competitive North American VALORANT scene has fallen, thanks to the Ghost Gaming organization’s decision to step back from the game and release their full roster and coach.
In a statement released today, Ghost Gaming said that they were not selected as a partnered organization for the upcoming 2023 Americas international VALORANT league, but would continue to support the scene through “creators, original content, weekly community scrims, and exploring event hosting as well.”
The full Ghost starting roster has been released to unrestricted free agency: Marc-Andre “NiSMO” Tayar, GianFranco “koalanoob” Potestio, Brock “brawk” Somerhalder, Mouhamed Amine “johnqt” Ouarid, and Alex “aproto” Protopapas. Coach Adam Kaplan has also been released by the organization.
The team, made up of players who joined from across 2021 and 2022, had a breakout season in the NA VCT Stage Two main event following the acquisition of aproto. Ghost qualified for Stage Two via the open qualifier, and finished the main event tied for the best record with a 4-1 showing, thanks to four straight wins versus The Guard, NRG, TSM, and 100 Thieves. Ghost fell short in playoffs though, and their absence from Stage One meant they did not earn enough points to qualify for the NA Last Chance Qualifier.
Ghost joins a growing list of organizations and teams that have exited VALORANT after failing to secure partnership in the 2023 Americas international league, including Luminosity, Shopify Rebellion, Complexity, NYFU (NYXL), and others. Ghost, alongside other departed VALORANT organizations, might consider a return in the near future after Riot announced an expanded tier two system via Challengers for 2023, equipped with designated broadcast windows and potential promotion opportunities.
The players and coach are free to sign with any roster during the upcoming offseason period, following Champions 2022.
