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London Spitfire Release 7 Players

The London Spitfire has made the decision to part ways with new fewer than seven players from its rookie... Pablo | 19. October 2020

The London Spitfire has made the decision to part ways with new fewer than seven players from its rookie squad, confirming recent speculation that the team was looking for a fresh start ahead of the 2021 Overwatch League season. The seven former members of the rookie squad are now free agents, with the Spitfire now expected to make additional announcements regarding their replacements.

Half of their roster were released in total, with DPS players Park “Babel” Sang-jun, Jung “Although” Hyun-wood and Lee “Schwi” Dong-jae having departed, along with main tank Kim “Jihun” Ji-hun and off tank Cho “Clestyn” Gun-hee. The team also parted ways with flex supports Lee “Highly” Sung-hyeok and Jeong “Krillin” Young-hoon, with the latter being the only non-rookie found on their 2020 roster.

What the Changes Mean for the London Spitfire?

This is the latest in a long line of changes for the Spitfire, with the team having undergone a complete restructure ahead of the start of the 2020 Overwatch League season. An inexperienced roster was brought in instead, the majority of which came from Overwatch Contenders. However, with both players and staff having had to relocate to South Korea from North America part way through the season because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it perhaps comes as little surprise that they struggled to find their best form.

Why the Spitfire Have Released So Many Players

The team eventually finished rock bottom of the standings in the APAC region, as well as 17th in the overall Overwatch League, despite many of the Spitfire’s rookie players competing well against veterans in the region. Announcing the news on Twitter, the Spitfire stated that they had offered all seven players free agency to “ensure that they can find a new team to thrive in with the least amount of resistance.” As such, they will now be free to pursue opportunities elsewhere, without organizations having to pay any form of compensation.

The London Spitfire released its entire coaching staff at the beginning of the month, with rumors having surfaced that the team would go solely Western and use members of the British Hurricane European Overwatch Contenders team. Five players from the 2020 London Spifire roster remain for the time being, however further changes would not be a surprise.