Echo Fox surprised many in the fighting game community on October 9, 2018 when suddenly the esports organization announced it was releasing the Call of Duty and Gears of War teams and a number of FGC players. It appears the bout of releases isn’t over. Korean Tekken 7 champions Kim “JDCR” HyunJin and Cho “Saint” Jinwoo were the latest to be let go.
The latest bout of releases came on October 11, 2018, straight from the Twitter accounts of JCDR and Saint themselves. It seems similar to Street Fighter V pro Victor “Punk” Woodley as he announced his own release on October 9, ahead of Echo Fox’s own official statements. Echo Fox has yet to offer any more comment on the matter beyond the initial statement offered in the wake of the previous big layoff.
As of today im no longer sponsored by EchoFox.Though it hurts to write this I understand the teams decision to move fwd.I'll always remember how it felt to wear the colors proudly, living my pro-gamer dream.The last 2 yrs have been a blessing I'll never forget. Thank you Echo Fox pic.twitter.com/gjStylZntF
— SAINT (@TK_SAINT) October 11, 2018
JCDR and Saint’s release comes as a big surprise in Echo Fox’s reorganization. Where the Gears of War and Call of Duty teams didn’t make as much noise in the esports community as other teams, JCDR and Saint have been top-tier competitors in a fairly active Tekken 7 scene for years. They battled for first and second place at EVO 2017 and JCDR still managed a 4th place spot in 2018, all while continued to rank high at various smaller events throughout the year.
Even Punk’s release could be rationalized given the presence of Justin Wong, Momochi, and Tokido in Echo Fox’s Street Fighter V stable. Saint and JCDR’s sudden addition to the layoffs is probably the most shocking among the bunch. Whatever Echo Fox is attempting to do, will it be worth the wealth of talent they let go? It remains to be seen, but something must be around the corner for the organization to make such drastic moves.
It’s a shame to see two high caliber players in the scene fall on the chopping block. That said, given JCDR and Saint’s high reputations and skill in the scene, it’s probably safe to say this isn’t the last we’ve heard of them. Best of luck to two of the best Tekken players out there.
(Featured image by Robert Paul/EVO)
