G2 Esports adds kioShiMa as sub for shox at ESL One New York

G2 Esports seems to be ready to move past Richard “shox” Papillon.

The organization announced that it has added free agent player Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey as a substitute. He will compete alongside the team in the GG.Bet Beijing Invitational and at ESL One New York.

The reveal was made on Twitter.

kioShiMa has enjoyed numerous successes through the French Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene over the years, including winning the DreamHack Winter Major in 2014 with Team LDLC. That roster was transferred to Team EnVyUs in 2015, where they continued their winning ways at the DreamHack Open Cluj⁠-⁠Napoca Major.

He split from the team in early 2016 under poor circumstances but quickly found a new home in FaZe Clan. He moved onto and off of the FaZe bench on multiple occasions before rejoining Envy for another short run. He most recently played with Cloud9 at the IEM Katowice Major, but has not competed since.

Is shox done with G2 Esports after kioShiMa addition?

Shox’s status with G2 Esports is currently uncertain. Rumors have swirled and reports have been made that the player is set to join Team Vitality in the near future, with Vitality coughing up a significant sum of money in order to bring him aboard.

While there is certainly a lot of smoke there, it is not yet confirmed that there is a fire. shox is officially still a part of the G2 roster and the team has not yet publicly stated that he is available for transfer. It is unclear what the exact sticking point is, but the fact that shox will not be competing for G2 over the coming days with no explanation suggests that the organization could be making plans on what to do after he is gone.

Whether kioShiMa will be a full-time replacement is unclear. There little questioning that the two-time major winner has the potential to be an able replacement, but G2 will also have plenty of other options available, particularly if they’re willing to look beyond the confines of France.

How G2 performs at either upcoming event could play a role in determining kioShiMa’s long-term prospects with the team. Meanwhile, a definitive answer on shox’s status will likely come as soon as next week with Vitality being scheduled to compete at DreamHack Masters Malmo.