crashies joins Fnatic, here’s when he debuts with the team

After benching Leo “Leo” Jannesson for the remainder of the Valorant season, Fnatic is finally filling his spot for the foreseeable future with Austin “crashies” Roberts.

Fnatic is well-known for its skill and accomplishments across esports and it has largely lived up to the reputation in Valorant. Its Valorant team has taken home multiple international tournaments last year and has stood tall in the EMEA regional circuit. As is common with esports teams, however, the current Valorant roster is going through a shake-up and bringing in some different talent after falling short in Valorant Champions 2024. Most notably, Fnatic is officially replacing Leo during his continued hiatus from competition.

Fnatic is making a number of roster changes as the team heads into 2025, including bringing in a new player to take over Leo’s duties while he remains on the bench. crashies will debut on Fnatic at VCT Kick Off 2025. With the addition of crashies and other changes, Fnatic’s roster in the VCT Kick Off 2025 will include the following players:

• Jake “Boaster” Howlett
• Emir “Alfajer” Beder
• Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov
• Kajetan “kaajak” Haremski
• Austin “crashies” Roberts

crashies replaces Leo as Fnatic’s Valorant initiator

Fnatic has confirmed that crashies will be joining its Valorant roster on a permanent basis, taking his contract from NRG.

crashies has been a part of the Valorant scene since 2020, changing to Valorant after years bouncing around the second tier of Counter-Strike’s North American scene. During that time, he’s reportedly a 1.03 K/D ratio and an ADR around 130. Prior to NRG, crashies played for OpTic Gaming and Team Envy. The Fnatic press release praises crashies’s veteran experience, mid-rounding abilities, and ambition. In the team structure, crashies will serve as the initator and be responsible for starting attacks and flushing out enemies in game.

Fnatic additionally thanked Ștefan “Sayonara” Mitcu for stepping in at both the Red Bull Home Ground and Riot Games One and dropped him from the roster. After competing with Fnatic during the offseason, he returns back to DVM Esports for the new year.

Valorant team director Colin Johnson expressed in his own X post how Leo is still a member of the team, even if he is inactive. He also added that Leo’s spot on the team would be ready for him. The statement concludes by implying that crashies is only a temporary team member despite being signed. Leo has been benched since June 2024 due to unspecified health issues that, unfortunately for the player, seem to be ongoing.

Kajetan “kaajak” Haremski also set to join 2025 Fnatic roster

To replace Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, Fnatic is bringing on kaajak from Apeks.

Johnson speaks highly of kaajak in his offseason performance with the team. The Polish Valorant player reportedly dropped over 30 kills in his final Fnatic trial and also fits into the general vibe. Additionally, kaajak showed high level of skill with four different duelists like Neon and Jett. With Apeks, he took home first place at Ascension 2024. Hopefully, he can keep it up for Fnatic.

Vitality signed Derke back in October 2024. He had been a member of Fnatic’s Valorant team since mid-2021, taking home two international titles during his tenure. The official press release added that kaajak has “big boots to fill.”

The VCT Kick Off begins on January 9, 2025 as part of the new and expanded calendar for competitive Valorant. With their former team member on Team Vitality to women like fluorescent now being able to compete in the top league, Fnatic will certainly be facing some stiff competition next year.