News that will come as a surprise to many, Damian “Daps” Steele has announced that he has retired from professional VALORANT. The Canadian will part ways with NRG in the process, with the former CS:GO pro having explained that he was no longer enjoying competing.
Why Daps has called it a day
Daps is set to announce his plans for the future, having only entered the VALORANT scene in October last year. The veteran made his name with Gen.G in CS:GO, before making the switch to VALORANT with NRG. Speaking on his decision to retire from the Riot Games Esports title, Daps stated that:
It's been no secret to the people around me that I just don't enjoy playing anymore which was the main reason to my choice. Should have news regarding my future plans soon! Best of luck to @texerino @777eeiu @ANDROIDX23 and @s0mcs in trying out a replacement for me! https://t.co/3f3dPo3s2u
— daps (@daps) June 11, 2021
What the future holds for NRG
NRG has struggled during their time in VALORANT, having failed to qualify for any top tier events. As a result, the team did not feature at the North American First Strike tournament, as well as the VALORANT Champions Tour Masters One, VCT Masters Two Reykjavik. However, NRG did make an appearance at the Challengers Finals, where they finished 5th-6th.
It appears that the rest of the NRG VALORANT roster will stick together following Daps’ departure, however further poor performances could well lead to the organization making changes. It remains to be seen as to who will replace Daps, with the VCT Stage Three approaching quickly. We will bring further announcements when available.
It could be that Daps has decided to focus upon content creation, with the Canadian having just over 7,000 followers on Twitch at this point. Daps is a former in-game leader for the Gen.G CS:GO team, who reunited with Chet “Chet” Singh when joining NRG. Daps was ultimately released by Gen.G, spending a few months as a free agent, before making the switch to VALORANT.
