Gears 5 may be hot on the way in 2019, but if you were expecting to see one of the most stellar teams take over again in the competitive scene, it won’t be happening - at least not under the OpTic Gaming banner. OpTic just announced that their Gears of War team has been retired and released, as per request of the squad.
The announcement of the OpTic Gears squad’s release was announced by OpTic via their Twitter on July 1, 2019. The tweet explains quite plainly that the team would be released, at apparent suggestion of the players.
“Thank you to the greatest Gears of War team ever,” OpTic wrote. “Per their request, we will be releasing the roster. We will miss the 17x champs in GOW4.” The organization went on to wish all members of the team the best in their endeavors. That said, the squad doesn’t appear to simply be done. Coach Nick “Ashes” Ridgeway almost immediately went onto post that he and the team would be looking for a new banner to play under for Gears 5.
My teammates @Xplosive @MentaL @Sumuns @Solurs @Praized and I are currently looking for a new organization to represent in Gears 5 and beyond. Please send any inquiries to my business email ?
— Ashes (@thyAshes) July 1, 2019
[email protected]
It is unknown what exactly would cause arguably the most successful team in Gears of War competition to jump ship, but it is worth noting that this move comes immediately after OpTic announced it would had secured an LA Call of Duty franchise spot. While arguably beneficial to the overall OpTic organization in the long run, there were a few raised brows, surprised looks, and strange comments, including that of notable OpTic management Hector Rodriguez.
Whatever is going on, budget or leadership issues likely, clearly didn’t sit well with the Gears team, despite Gears 5’s imminent arrival. Either way, the squad seems to have intention to stick together wherever they go if Ashes’ post was any indication. Even if it’s not under the OpTic banner, we’re likely to see Gilbert “Xplosive” Rojo, Billy “MentaL Putnam Jr., Alex SuMuNs” Ascencion, Brian “SoLuRs” Valenzuela, and Arody “Praized” Dipre kill it wherever they end up in the Gears competitive circuit.
Hopefully they figure it out before the end of the Gears 5 Summer Series comes to an end, featuring a tournament between some of the best squads out there.
