Version1 organization enters Valorant with roster of CSGO players

Nicholas James Published 10/02/2021

Version1, an esports organization with prominent teams in Rocket League and Call of Duty, has joined the competitive Valorant landscape by signing amateur squad NeverDone.

Version1 + @ValorantEsports #V1VAL ⱽ #NeverDone pic.twitter.com/Op8ZNMFYw4
— Version1 (@version1gg) February 9, 2021

The organization is partly owned by the owners of the Wilf family, who own the Minnesota Vikings, along with investor Gary Vaynerchukand. The company also has its headquarters in the state of Minnesota. The Call of Duty side is franchised as the Minnesota Røkkr in the Call of Duty League. The newly-signed squad has been playing under the team’s tag since its inception in early 2021.

Who is on the Version1 Valorant roster?

The roster is full of former CSGO players, some who are just now switching over and some who have been playing Valorant for a while. The two most notable names on the roster are former Gen.G standouts Loic “effys” Sauvageau and Keven “PLAYER1” Champagne. Both were the first group of players to be signed to the organization and saw quick success in their time in Valorant, winning one of the first invitational tournaments in the early days of the game’s competitive life.

The next recognizable name on the team is former Chaos Esports Club captain Anthony “vanity” Malaspina, who made the switch to Valorant earlier this year. Rounding out the roster are two lesser-known players in Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro and Erik “penny” Penny. Both players are former Counter Strike pros who made the switch to Valorant around the same time as vanity.

This squad does have some hype around it. Both Gen.G players have been touted as great talents that, for whatever reason, did not fit with that organization. They have experience playing with each other as well time fighting at the top of Valorant’s competition. Together with vanity, Zellsis, and penny, the new Version1 team stomped through the Pittsburg Knights Monthly tournament in January, only dropping one map. The squad also tried to qualify for the first Valorant Champions Tour event, though it was knocked out in the round of 32 by FaZe Clan.

This team has been on the rise since its formation, and now with organizational backing, should be a solid team to watch out for come the next few VCT events.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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