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Team Vitality have announced they are looking at Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey and Richard “shox” Papillon as possible replacements for Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt, who has been released from the roster following some unwanted friction in the team caused by poor results at the 2019 StarLadder Berlin Major.
A lot of things have happened in the CS:GO esports scene following the Berlin Major, most notable of which was the benching of NBK-.
But he is not the only player who will be leaving his team in September. It was announced earlier that G2 Esports will no longer need the services of shox and Lucas “Lucky” Chastang, who will be both released and forced to look for a new team.
The reason behind the decision to replace shox and Lucky was mediocre results that have plagued G2 since their runners-up finish at ESL Pro League S9 Finals. The French giants have already found two replacements in Nemanja “nexa” Isaković and Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač from CR4ZY.
That surprise move by G2 is quite a convenient one for Vitality, who are reportedly very keen on signing shox as a replacement for NBK-. That would require Vitality to splash the cash, but there is a strong belief the deal could go through.
Vitality and G2 have a good relationship, as it was G2 who helped Vitality enter the CS:GO scene by letting them sign Dan “apEX” Madesclaire and NBK- in October 2018.
Should, however, the French powerhouse fail to land shox, it is believed they will give kioShiMa a chance to return to the CS:GO professional scene.
The former FaZe Clan, Team Envy and Cloud9 player has been without a team for over five months now, but the two-time major champion has expressed a desire to once again play for a French team.
Which of the two stars will end up in Vitality remains a mystery, however, it should not stay so for long.
Vitality are in a race against time, as they will need to have their roster finalized before Friday, September 13, when BLAST Pro Series Moscow begins.
