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OpTic Gaming is a dominant force in the Valorant professional scene. So far, they have been one of the top contenders at every VCT event. Despite their successful past performances, the team failed to obtain a slot in the latest Valorant partnership program.
Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker has been a star player for OpTic Gaming for almost two years now and was even nicknamed "El Diablo" (The Devil), thanks to his solid performances with the Operator. In a recent livestream, the American player shared his thoughts on franchising and joining a team in the near future.
Fans who have been regularly following the VCT scene may already know that yay's contract with OpTic is about to expire. The community is curious to know where Jaccob will head next in his journey as a professional Valorant player.
Star Valorant player yay states that his next team will not be from the EMEA region
The clip was taken from yay's livestream, where he spoke about his future in the professional scene after Valorant's recently introduced partnership program. When asked how he felt about the new franchising system, the pro player responded to his chat:
"We are not there yet, we are not ready for franchising just yet."
Later on, yay was asked if he was trying to acquire a spot on the Sentinels roster, but only provided a vague response with a suspenseful tone:
"You guys want me to join Sentinels? That'll be a surprise, let's just... It's not EMEA, I'll tell you guys that much so far."
This statement by the American pro confirms that he is not looking for an EMEA team in VCT 2023. He also added that he hasn't confirmed anything regarding the team swap just yet:
"I've been getting a lot of offers honestly, but I haven't signed anything yet."
Based on what Yay stated in his livestream, he has received multiple offers, but hasn't made a solid decision regarding the roster change. He will be free to accept any offer once his contract with OpTic expires soon.
He added to his previous statements, saying how he hasn't confirmed on any of the offers he has received recently:
"To be completely honest, I haven't chosen a team yet."
Interestingly, many popular teams did not make it to the franchising program, with Riot Games deciding to select only 10 teams per region for the partnership program. These partnered teams will be the main focus of the next VCT season.
Teams who fail to be on the list of partnered Riot teams can still compete in the 21 Challenger Leagues, from where they can eventually make their way to Ascension tournaments. This means that if OpTic decides to make a new roster and compete in the VCT next year, they can still make it to the big stage.
Based on his statements, yay is perhaps looking in a different direction once his contract expires. Fans are extremely excited to see their favorite NA Chamber main step into the spotlight once again on a different Valorant roster. The player also mentioned that he is unsure if he should look for a new team or possibly stay with his OpTic teammates.
