Shox leaves Nakama Esports four months after co-founding it

Thirty-year veteran Richard “shox” Papillon leaves the starting lineup of Nakama Esports after four months of co-founding the team. We don’t know the future of the former superstar who won it all with G2 Esports and Team Vitality.

Shox has been one of the greatest players on the competitive Counter-Strike scene for more than 13 years, so there is no doubt that the Frenchman has plenty of experience to spare. In addition, he also has success in his veins, as he won several top-level tournaments when he played under the Team Vitality and G2 Esports banner. However, shox’s departure from Nakama Esports does not mean his absolute retirement from the scene, no more and no less.

Shox announces his departure from Nakama Esports

After four months of co-founding the team and being an active part of the starting lineup, 30-year-old French veteran shox has announced his departure from Nakama Esports.

In a nicely detailed Twitlonger, shox explains why he has decided to leave his team’s starting lineup. The veteran states that he has devoted all his energy during these four months to make the project work and to make it, according to the player, “effective, attractive and a source of future for the younger players.”

The experienced player says that since January 2023, when he decided to co-found the team, he became very passionate about the project and completely forgot about his playing career. In addition, he points out that managing a team requires large investments of money and, most importantly, energy, something he was able to use to develop himself personally.

Finally, the player states that his hunger and competitive desire remain intact and that he aims to continue playing at the highest competitive level. So, he is open to the possibility of playing with another team, and, in addition, he would be looking for a new “leader” to continue to hold the reins of Nakama Esports.

Shox is not the only one leaving the team

Nakama Esports aimed very high in just three months of being created, as shox and his teammates aimed to qualify for the BLAST.tv Paris Major. However, they failed to qualify for the European RMR, so their dream ended early.

On the other hand, shox is not the only one leaving the team’s lineup, as it was also announced that Jayson “Kyojin” Nguyen was also leaving the team immediately.

However, at the end of the TwitLonger explaining shox and Kyojin’s situation, Nakama Esports also announced that both players have agreed to be part of the team (as subs) until they get their replacements. As a result, the team will continue to play the same way at the start of the ESEA Advanced Europe S45.

Header: VaKarM