Leo departs Fnatic; steps away from Valorant esports

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 10/09/2025

Fnatic have announced that Leo ‘Leo’ Jannesson will depart the roster and will be stepping away from Valorant esports for the time being.

The news comes after a 15-month inactive period, which saw Leo step away from the roster for health reasons.

The roster initially saw Emirhan ‘hiro’ Kat stand-in for the Swedish star, before hiro left with Kajetan ‘kaajak’ Haremski and Austin ‘crashies’ Roberts joining the legendary organisation.

Fnatic’s statement read:

“After 3 years of last minute clutches, two international trophies and being an undisputable fan favourite, we wish farewell to Leo
Whilst the last year hasn’t been what we or Leo had hoped for, we are incredibly proud that Leo’s career was with us and for all the achievements we had with him on our roster.
For now, Leo will be stepping away from VALORANT and we wish him all the very best in his future endeavours. We’ll always be cheering from the sidelines”

Fnatic Leo: A glittering career cut short

Leo competed in Valorant immediately from the game’s creation, quickly building a reputation with the Swedish organisation BONK.

A move to UK organisation, Guild Esports followed, where Leo competed in EMEA Challengers, culminating in the organisation qualifying for Valorant Masters Copenhagen 2022, placing 7th-8th.

Leo would join Fnatic in October 2022, beginning a period of huge individual and team success, in which Leo cemented himself as one of the dominant early forces in Tier 1 Valorant.

Fnatic would win two international S-Tier trophies with Leo, VCT 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo, affectionately referred to as “Número uno” inside the team, and VALORANT Masters Tokyo 2023.

Leo also claimed the EMEA 2024 Stage 1 trophy alongside his Fnatic teammates.

Leo was also notable as being the first player ever to be awarded an MVP award by VLR.gg/THESPIKE.GG after his performance in São Paulo.

The news comes just days before Fnatic are due to start its Valorant Champions 2025 campaign in Paris, where Fnatic are one of the betting favourites for the title.

Valorant esports says goodbye to one of its most influential stars

The news sparked an outpouring of praise and adoration for Leo from former teammates, casters, and members of the Fnatic organisation.

Fnatic’s Valorant manager CoJo said of Leo, “he was as close to a perfect player we had ever seen. Leo was a great teammate, leader, player and person, and he will be sorely missed by both his teammates and the community as a whole.”

Leo became the textbook example of how to play his roles and spots, with Fnatic’s British former coach saying, “Leo set the standards for how great VALORANT should be played and most still don’t come close.”

Despite Valorant being a relatively new game by esports’ standards, the expression of love and support shared for Leo after the announcement was reflective of the huge influence he made in that short time.

In losing Leo to illness, Valorant has lost one of its first truly legendary figures.

Esports News UK wishes Leo the best with his health struggles.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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