FNATIC has parted ways with American VALORANT player Austin 'crashies' Roberts, ending his two-year spell with the European organisation.
FNATIC announced the departure on X (formerly Twitter) on November 4th at 6 AM PT, alongside a farewell video. "The courage to cross the world and leave your home, all to find a new one," the team wrote. "You'll always have family here, @Crashies. Thank you for everything 🧡."
crashies confirmed the news in his own post shortly afterwards. "After 2 years, my journey with FNATIC comes to an end," he wrote, calling the organisation "a second home" where he had grown "not only as a player, but as a person." He thanked his teammates, coaches and staff, as well as the fans who backed him "through the good days and the bad ones." Neither FNATIC nor crashies said where he will play next.
A rebuild after a difficult 2026
crashies' exit is the latest in a string of changes to FNATIC's VALORANT team. On October 29th, the organisation said it had mutually agreed to part ways with Sylvain 'Veqaj' Pattyn. On November 2nd it released Head Coach Andrey 'ENGH', saying it was making changes "headed towards the 2027 season" and thanking him for trying "to turn our 2026 season around."
Performance Coach Philipp Schickor and Assistant Coach 'Desmo' left the following day. In its farewell to Desmo, FNATIC described the past year as "turbulent and unpredictable."
The overhaul comes a year after one of the team's best runs. FNATIC reached the Grand Final of VALORANT Masters Toronto in 2025, where it lost 3-1 to Paper Rex, and later made the VALORANT Champions 2025 Grand Final in Paris, where NRG beat it 3-2. FNATIC has not announced who will replace crashies or its departed staff for the 2027 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) season.
