FPX rebrands its VALORANT team

The famous Chinese organization FunPlus Phoenix has decided to rebrand its VALORANT team in preparation for the game’s official launch in China.

The organization has decided to upgrade the ZHUQUE lineup, the team representing them in the VALORANT scene in China, to the primary team. That is, the team will now play under the FPX banner.

The announcement said:

“ZHUQUE will assume the FPX VALORANT banner and continue to compete in the VALORANT esports scene under the FPX name.”

Reasons for this change

The organization is most likely making this move due to FunPlus Phoenix’s failure to obtain its partner status in any of the three VCT 2023 international leagues.

FPX has been immersed in the VALORANT competitive scene since the game’s launch, i.e., since 2020. Since then, the organization has fielded a European roster in competitions worldwide.

In addition, the team obtained outstanding results, such as first place in the VCT 2022: Stage Two Masters in Copenhagen and fourth place in the VALORANT Champions 2022, the highest-level tournament played to date.

On the other hand, after announcing all the teams that would be part of the partnership with Riot Games for 2023. FunPlus Phoenix decided to release all of its players on November 7.

In this official statement, the organization said:

“From the unknown to being the best in EMEA, we went through a long way and conquered numerous obstacles to get to where we are today. The legacy, the spirits, the dedication, and all the incredible milestones you have accomplished under our banner will never be forgotten.”

Almost all members of the former FPX lineup now play under the banner of the Ukrainian organization Natus Vincere or NaVi, a team that will play in the VCT EMEA League 2023.

VALORANT will be available in China soon

Last December 28, as we reported in a previous article, it was announced that VALORANT would be accessible in China soon. As a result, there will be new official game servers in this country, which will allow the competitive scene of this tactical shooter to continue to develop.

Let’s recall that, until now, Chinese players who wanted to play VALORANT had to use a VPT to connect to other servers, specifically from South Korea.

Considering this fact, it is logical that an organization as popular in this country as FunPlus Phoenix promotes its purely Chinese staff.

On the other hand, this will be a golden opportunity for a team that has had no luck finding a franchise elsewhere, and the Chinese scene is about to start. This means the organization can build a foundation for its future in its home country.

There is no doubt that this is a great new start for this excellent esports organization. All the fans in China love the idea of having FPX among the best teams in VALORANT.

Header: FunPlus Phoenix