North American esports outfit XSET announced on December 16, that they have acquired the Apex Legends roster of Team Liquid.
This roster consists of the American in-game leader Brandon “Nocturnal” Singer, Brandon “FunFPS” Goombridge, Nicholas “Sikezz” Odom, and coach Haris “Hodsic” Hodzic.
The gang's all together. 🔥
❌ @oh_Nocturnal
❌ @FunFPS
❌ @sSikezz
❌ @hodsic
❌ @DragonsAFK
❌ @BySovereign#RepTheSet❌ pic.twitter.com/tUqEt8jgqA— XSET (@XSET) December 16, 2022
The organization stated in a press release that they have always wanted to make headway in the Apex Legends scene, and hence this newly acquired team is a good fit as they are one of the best Apex Legends teams in North America.
“We’ve seen the rapid growth of the Apex Legends Global Series League, we knew we had to participate and make a huge impact if we were to enter,” the team said.
“Since the beginning of XSET, we’ve always wanted to cultivate a winning culture no matter what game or collaboration we entered. With Nocturnal, FunFPS, Sikezz, and Hodsic leading the charge into Apex Legends, we’re only going to continue that tradition.”
XSET IGL Nocturnal also stated that they are optimistic about their new organization, and assured everyone that they will maintain their winning streak under their new banner.
“We’re really looking forward to a new scenery and new faces to call a family and home. Happy that this was incredibly smooth and looking forward to be able to play our own game without any worries anymore. We’re here to stay as a team and here to continue dominating under XSET,” Nocturnal said.
In an early news release, Team Liquid released a press release, stating their exit from the game due to financial constraints.
“On the financial side of things, the ALGS and how it is moving forward with monetization for teams simply doesn’t fit with our operations, and so we need to take our leave, though we take no pleasure in doing so.”
The organization noted that parting with the team was a very difficult move for them, and they regret letting go of the super team, which have brought them countless highlights.
“In stepping away, we had to make tough decisions that unfortunately caused our team to get less coverage than they deserved. We fielded a roster that grew into a world-class competitor – led by what could be the best coach and IGL in Apex history – and as they grew we were scaling up our Apex content team to match them,” Team Liquid’s press release read.
“We had a number of great content pieces planned that would let the squad—and their fans—shine. We had to cut these pieces down early due to the shift in direction of the ALGS. We do regret missing the opportunity to highlight this superstar squad—and our talented Apex staff.”
The new XSET team had already qualified for the LAN before the transfer. Under their new banner, they will be making their debut on December 18 at the upcoming regional finals to qualify for the Split One Playoffs LAN, which is scheduled for next year.
XSET will rise to the absolute top of the Apex esports scene right away. The new team is currently ranked second overall in the NA Pro League. This have made XSET’s purpose of winning more realistic.
Also, after Storm Point was included in the ALGS, Team Liquid was the first team to develop gameplay for it. They have also survived many metas while keeping their dominance on the map.
Prior to this comeback into the Apex Legends scene, XSET had since left the scene last in July 2022. The esports organisation had acquired the current free-agent North American squad SZN, although their run last season was not successful, as they only earned a few top spots and minor events and did not make the top 10 teams of the ALGS Pro League.