NYXL Pulls the Plug on NYFU Valorant Team Post-franchising Snub

NYXL has decommissioned its agents and is leaving the Valorant scene with NYFU Valorant after franchising snub.

Ever since Riot Games announced that they were introducing franchising to Valorant, every notable eSports organization has put their name into the pool of candidates. Many organizations have found out they have not obtained a franchise spot and have been electing to leave Valorant behind entirely. It appears NYXL is doing the same.

.@NYXL has decided to pull out of @PlayVALORANT because of recent franchising decisions, with that I will be taking an indefinite break to figure out what I want to do with my future. I had an amazing time playing this game and am thankful I got such amazing opportunities!

— NYFU YaBoiDre (@YaBoiDre) July 20, 2022

While NYXL has yet to make a public announcement, several members of their Valorant team, NYFU, have posted on Twitter and revealed the disbandment of NYFU. Two members confirmed that franchising was the primary reason behind disbanding NYFU. And it’s not hard to see why.

NYFU, initially called Andbox, emerged on the Valorant scene in 2020. While NYFU has had many high-caliber players on their team, like ShoT_UP, mummAy, Oderus, neptune, and YaBoiDre, they never really made it to the main stage. And that’s a problem many Valorant teams are dealing with in the wake of the franchising announcement.

Another One Bites The Dust

Valorant presently is woefully lacking in support for tier 2 Valorant teams. Without a franchise spot, many organizations have decided that it is financially impractical to continue competing in Valorant. It begs the question of if competitive Valorant is at risk of stagnation if Riot Games’ franchising decision kills off most up-and-coming Valorant teams.

It is unknown whether NYXL will give Valorant another shot in the future. Only time will tell.