valorant: "Never hiring a Valorant roster": S8UL Thug dismisses possibilities of VCT Ascension team

S8UL owner Animesh "8Bit Thug" Agarwal recently dashed fans' hopes of having a Valorant roster from the org ever competing in the VCT Ascensions. The news came as the esporting world prepares for the overhauled Valorant Champions Tour in 2023.

As the foremost esporting organization in India, fans had hoped they would be competing in the VCT next year. However, while playing Valorant on a recent stream, S8UL Thug has outright dismissed any possibility of the org competing in the Ascension tournaments.

When asked by the audience to get a roster, Agarwal went as far as to "promise" that they would never hire a Valorant roster, at least for the foreseeable future:

He went on to state that he would explain the reasoning behind the decision sometime in the future, but that it doesn't make sense for them to get a team for Riot's Tactical Shooter.

"It doesn't make any sense for us": S8UL Thug says he is not considering a Valorant roster unless things change

Since the merger of Team SouL and 8Bit in 2020, the brand has taken esporting in India to new heights. The org is famous for professionally competing in various esports, especially BGMI. They even bagged the much coveted Esports Award for Content Group of the Year 2022, beating out global giants such as Offline TV, OTK, 100 Thieves, and FaZe Clan.

Thug, one of the owners of the org, is an avid streamer and has been streaming Riot's tactical shooter for quite some time. Fans recently asked him about the possibility of S8ul competing in the upcoming VCT Ascension. The streamer, however, dismissed any possibility of that happening, saying it doesn't make sense for the team to get a Valorant roster.

However, he did say that if there are sweeping changes in the near future, they might consider making a team:

Fans also suggested including BADLove and Whimp in a potential team, but Thug was still reluctant, saying:

Fans react to Thug's statements about a future S8ul Valorant roster

The Indian esporting community clearly wants a Valorant team from the org and after the clip was posted on Twitter, here is how they reacted to the news:

Valorant is highly popular in India but gained even more fanfare after Harbor was released earlier this year.

Fans looking for more information on the overhauled 2023 VCT season should look up this article for an in-depth guide to how the tournament structures have been changed.

About the author

Richik has been specializing in streamer content at Sportskeeda for over 2 years. He also manages a group of writers who craft relevant news and features about content creators on platforms like Twitch, Kick, and Rumble. Prior to Sportskeeda, he interned at The Ken and worked as a reviewer at Blacksof where he fact-checked educational content.

Richik’s love for writing, researching, and archiving, along with his inquisitive nature and longstanding love for video games led him to pursue a career as a gaming journalist. He relies on primary sources for accurate information and ensures that his drafts are proofread, fact-checked, and well-researched.

As a child, Richik spent many a summer vacation playing the 1994 Road Rash with his cousins. Although more of an FPS and open-world fiend now, Richik enjoys single-player RPGs with compelling storytelling, such as The Last of Us franchise, and regularly teams up with his friends to play multiplayer titles like Valorant on PC.

Richik enjoys watching streamer and former esports athlete Shroud, and also finds inspiration in MrBeast's journey to become one of the most well-known content creators worldwide. Interviewing English-Somali YouTuber Sharky, a member of the renowned Beta Squad, was a career highlight for him.

When not writing, Richik likes to read, watch a movie or a game of football.

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