Overwatch League MVP Sinatraa quits game for Valorant

Sinatraa shock
Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

Another game loses a pro to Valorant. This time it’s Overwatch League’s very own MVP: Sinatraa has quit Overwatch to compete in Valorant.

Jay “Sinatraa” Won is the reigning Overwatch League MVP and a 2019 Overwatch World Cup champion. Now he is also a retired Overwatch MVP and champion: Sinatraa has announced that he will leave his Overwatch team San Francisco Shock and join the esports organization Sentinels to go pro in Valorant.

This obviously wasn't a shock that the San Francisco Shock were anticipating:

"We appreciate the great play and personality that Sinatraa brought to the community, we'll miss him, and we also wish him the best for the future."

Sinatraa also commented on the move:

"...straight up just lost passion for the game. idk what the real killer was for me but maybe it was 2-2-2 lock maybe it was bans im not sure ... i did not make this decision in 1 day it took a full month of non stop thinking every day and sleepless nights from being so stressed."

This is a huge blow to the Overwatch League, which hasn’t exactly been held in the highest regards lately: Many have complained that Blizzard’s competitive balancing for the game’s esports-scene was too little too late. That, combined with the current pandemic lockdown is weighing heavy on the OW League. Now, on top of all that, they lose their most prominent Western player in Sinatraa.

Sinatraa mvp
Sinatraa is the reigning Overwatch League MVP. (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

This move is interesting because, unlike some other pros that have been signed to Valorant, Sinatraa is quite literally at the height of his career and is the face of the Overwatch League. One of Sinatraa’s nicknames is ‘Mr 150k’, a nickname alluding to the monthly OWL salary reflecting his worth. Sinatraa’s departure is a big, big loss for the Overwatch League and, at the same time, it shows the incredible pull that Valorant has without even being an official esports yet.

Before competing in Overwatch for four years straight, Sinatraa played CS:GO, so, arguably, the 20-year-old should feel right at home with Riot Games’ tactical shooter Valorant. This should be a welcome change for Sinatraa, who has essentially played Overwatch exclusively for all of his adult life.

Sentinels are getting ready to compete

Sinatraa is not the only new signing for the Sentinels, who are in the process of putting together a Valorant roster with Shahzeeb “ShahZaM” Khan, Hunter “SicK” Mims and Jared “zombs” Gitlin. Thus, they join T1 in officially putting together a competitive Valorant squad. Unofficially though, they are by no means the only teams getting ready for Valorant esports: There are also reports of NRG, 100 Thieves and Team Liquid gearing up for Valorant - shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given Valorant’s pull and prominence.

As always, for all things esports and more news on Overwatch or Sinatraa's new home Valorant - EarlyGame has got you covered.

Amidu Njiemoun

Amidu is a Brunel University graduate, and former published novel & screenplay writer turned gaming journalist and show host. He was a Senior Content Creator and Content Co-Lead at EarlyGame....