Today marks an end of an era for competitive League of Legends, as long time Fnatic Members Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño MartÃnez and Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen, the last remaining Fnatic founding member leave the squad they led for almost 4 years, winning the Season 1 World Championships in the process. Here is the official statement from Fnatic:
“It’s said that everything that has a beginning must have an end, and on a day like this it’s impossible not to feel nostalgic and proud of the amazing journey our long-serving League of Legends division, headed by xPeke and Cyanide, has had under the Fnatic banner.
Today we are not only saying farewell to two amazing players and individuals, but also to a legacy and a tradition that ever since the team’s inception in 2011 has represented Western LoL in the best possible fashion. Surely, like in any other team-based sport there have been ups and downs with players coming and going, but one thing has remained the same throughout the years and that is the amazing partnership of xPeke and Cyanide. The comradeship with plenty of synergy, character and talent to be forever recognized as one of the most successful duos of all time.
When xPeke came to us after Worlds expressing his desire to step down as an LCS player, in favour of his vision to form a completely new team, we soon realized that someone as dedicated and talented as Enrique could only thrive when doing something they are truly passionate about. For us at Fnatic, this obviously means that we are losing one of the best mid laners in the world, but again we feel obliged to support xPeke’s new venture and we are confident that he will have as much success there as he has had in Fnatic.
The second player that is departing from Fnatic today is Lauri “Cyanide†Happonen. Like his long-term partner xPeke, Lauri joined our ranks in 2011 and immediately achieved success with the now legendary victory at the very first World Championship, one of many titles Lauri and his team were to win in the following years in Fnatic. Despite being just 20, Lauri is today taking the decision to take a step back from competitive League of Legends, and we hope that by getting some time to focus on other things in life will enable the talented jungler to regain excitement to play competitively once again.
Even though the past weeks have included multiple departures from our division, we would like to clarify that we are late in the process of completing the roster for LCS 2015. A big chapter of our team’s history has obviously ended today, but we have great optimism going into another exciting year of LoL, and as always we have immense expectations on our new line-up that will be presented in the next few weeks.
On behalf of our entire organisation, we would like to wish both Lauri and Enrique the best of luck in their future endeavours. We feel privileged to have shared this journey with you and we have nothing but respect for you, as players and individuals. At the same time we would like to use this moment to give all the Fnatic fans out there a big shout-out, you are amazing, and we will do everything we possibly can to take back the throne of European LoL to Fnatic. “
From xPeke:
“I have a lot of good things to say about Fnatic and my teammates, but to not make the list too long, there is only one reason for me to leave Fnatic and that is to fulfill this dream I have had for a long time now. My dream is to make my own team, and I believe that this is the time to do it. At some point I said that I was going to stay in Fnatic for the next year and that’s because I thought I was, but with the events that have happened recently I thought that this was the time to have a change in my life and start this new adventure.
I want to thank Fnatic for all the interest they have shown in continuing to work together, that shows me that I’ve been very important to them. Because of that, and the treatment received during these 4 years, I want to say thank you to Patrik, Oliver and to Sam Mathews.
But I want to give a big THANK YOU to all the players I have played with at some point. Wetdream, wewillfailer, max and especially to those that have been a big part of my life like Shushei, Lamia, Mellisan, Puszu, Soaz, Rekkles, Yellowstar, Ara, Harry and my love Cyanide! All of them helped me learn a lot and grow as a person and as a player, making me feel proud of having them around. However, I am above all proud of you, my fans, who have celebrated my victories and cheered me up during defeats.
I know that Fnatic and I have the best fans you can have, you showed me that throughout my entire career. Some of you will be disappointed with my decision, some will understand that I want to do this, but from all of you I hope that you understand it and support it.
I wish the new Fnatic players the absolute best and hope that they can keep the same harmony we had, since I’m leaving a big part of my heart there!”
And from the retiring Cyanide:
“I’ve really enjoyed my time with Fnatic, but like all good things, the time playing for and with them has come to an end.
I’ve played as a pro for close to 4 years now, and over 3 of those have been in Fnatic. It has been wonderful, and I’m really happy I decided to go down this path for all the friends and memories I’ve made.
However, after careful consideration, I’ve decided it’s time for me to step down as a pro player for the time being. I might play again in the future, but right now I don’t feel comfortable nor happy playing League 10 hours a day, even if I still like the game in a more casual sense.
I will stay involved in the gaming scene in ways I’ll announce soon. I’ve grown incredibly fond of the gaming industry and don’t see myself being as happy doing something else.
I’d like to thank Fnatic for all the incredible years, all of my teammates that I’ve worked with have been truly awesome and I’ll remember each one of them fondly.
Fnatic is a top organisation and it has been a pleasure working here. We’ve had our differences but overall I’ve been lucky to have a reliable organisation like Fnatic backing me up.”
We here at B2G wish them both well in their respective career choices and a happy retirement for Cyanide. But still, my heart aches for Fnatic.
No more brazzers for Fnatic :(