Overwatch’s top professional player is moving on to a new game. Today, Jay “Sinatraa” Won left the Overwatch League’s San Francisco Shock, and ESPN reported that it’s so he can switch to a different title: Riot’s new team shooter Valorant, which is currently in closed beta.
Won will compete for esports organization Sentinels, the team announced today. Sentinels are also home to Fortnite World Cup champion Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf. Earlier, Won confirmed his departure from the Shock and that he’s moving to Valorant. In a post on Twitlonger, Won said he retired from Overwatch because he “straight up just lost passion” for the game.
Won made headlines last year with a dominating season. His team won the OWL grand finals, while he took home the MVP award; he followed that up by winning the Overwatch World Cup title (and another MVP award) as part of team USA.
Sentinels said that its Valorant team will also include Jared “Zombs” Gitlin, who is on the Sentinels Apex Legends team, and former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pros Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan and Hunter “SicK” Mims. The team said it’s working to find a final fifth member for its Valorant squad.
While it’s still in closed beta, Valorant has already proved hugely popular, breaking Twitch viewership records as major streamers flocked to it. The tactical shooter, which blends elements of Counter-Strike and Overwatch, seems ready-made to become the next big esport.
That said, Riot hasn’t yet announced formal plans for a professional league to support the game, and will instead focus on community-led events for the time being. “There’s no doubt that, as a hyper-competitive experience, Valorant has the ingredients to be a successful esport and we have big dreams for what this can be, but we want to be thoughtful in how we put it all together,” Riot’s senior director of esports Whalen “Magus” Rozelle wrote in a blog post.
Of course, the developer has a long history in competitive gaming, operating multiple long-running professional leagues for League of Legends, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Many players and teams appear to be banking on that stability as they try to get in early with the competitive Valorant scene.
