Shockwave Parts Ways with Virtus Pro’s Rainbow Six Lineup

Virtus Pro will be without Artem “Shockwave” Simakov for the foreseeable future, with the Russian having left the organization’s Rainbow Six team. The news was announced on Tuesday, with the 24-year-old having pointed to a lack of motivation as the reason behind his decision.

Shockwave was parted of the Virtus Pro team that finished fourth in both Stage One and Two of the European League, as well as helping the team in claiming third spot in the EU Mini-Majors in August and November. Meanwhile, Virtus also performed well in finishing third at the European League Finals, before eventually coming unstuck against G2 in the lower bracket.

How Shockwave Made a Name For Himself

Simakov began his Rainbow Six career back in 2016 with INVERSION, before moving on to the likes of Team Empire and forZe more recently. It was with the former that Shockwave recorded a runner-up finish at the Six Invitational 2019, before leaving the team just before Empire took down G2 at the Raleigh Major the same year.

Shockwave was highly regarded in the Rainbow Six Siege community, with the veteran having long been one of the standout players in the scene. However, it now remains to be seen as to whether he will return. Should he do so, he would likely be very much in demand, with teams potentially lining up to acquire a player of such talent and experience.

What is Next for Virtus Pro?

In its announcement surrounding the departure of Shockwave, Virtus Pro let fans know that a replacement would be unveiled shortly. The current Virtus R6 roster is made up by Artem “wTg” Morozov, Alan “Rask” Ali, Pavel “p4sh4” Kosenko and Andrey “m1lon” Mironov. Kimakov gave fans an insight into his current mindset by stating that following on his Twitter page:

“I don’t have the same motivation to play as I used to, so at this point I’ve decided to take a break. I want to rest and think my future through. I’d like to express my gratitude towards Virtus Pro and the guys from the team for the time we spent together, we had a lot of fun. We’ll see each other soon.”