Ex-CSGO pros join Andbox Valorant roster amid Counter-Strike exodus
Andbox / Riot Games / UnsplashAndbox, the parent company behind the New York Subliners, have announced their entrance into Valorant as Counter-Strike players continue to flee from Valve’s FPS.
It’s no secret that a large majority of Valorant’s professional scene stems from CS:GO. Between the obvious gameplay similarities and Valve’s percieved lack of support for Counter-Strike’s tier-two scene, some players are jumping ship.
When you also consider Riot’s reputation with handling premier esport titles (specific reference to League of Legends) and their efforts to create a level playing field for all, it should come as no surprise that New York-based esports titans, Andbox, are planting their flag in Future Earth.
Those familiar with the esports landscape will already recognize Andbox as the brand behind the Call of Duty League’s New York Subliners and Overwatch League’s New York Excelsior. And on September 17, they announced their Valorant lineup, who will be the third esports team to fly the New York banner.
ActivisionAndbox to utilize AI with Valorant team
The New York-based team will be known as ‘Andbox’ and will be coached by CS:GO veteran, Matt ‘Warden’ Dickens — who some may recognize from his time under Complexity both as a player and coach.
Joining him as Assistant Coach will be Gordan ‘g0g1’ Prošić, and together, they will both leverage Andbox’s recruitment process through the support of AI software. Forming the core of the roster, will be former CS:GO pros, Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker and Bradley ‘ANDROID’ Fodor — who are both perhaps noted for their success during their time with Complexity.
As part of their press release, Andbox stated: “Dickens and Prošić will assemble the rest of the roster with the support of Aim Lab, a talent assessment software developed by neuroscientists at Statespace. Aim Lab uses AI and analytics to measure a player’s performance based on fundamental motor and cognitive skills.” As of September 17, Andbox’s Valorant roster will be:
- Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker.
- Bradley ‘ANDROID’ Fodor.
- Matt ‘Warden’ Dickens (Coach).
- Gordan ‘g0g1’ Prošić (Coach).
The Aim Lab platform will be made publicly accessible towards the backend of September, where players will have the opportunity to trial for a position on the team, based on reaching set criteria in their assessment.
Warden expressed his excitement in being at the helm of Andbox’s Valorant venture. “It’s incredible to be joining Andbox to launch its newest team and build a world-class professional roster from the ground-up in a truly unique way.”
Think you’ve got what it takes to mix it with the best in Future Earth? Perhaps Andbox’s AI-driven recruitment process could be the ticket you’ve been looking for. Stay tuned for more on when the platform will launch for public access.