“Andrew Tate cost me a job”: zekken seemingly confirms G2’s interest in XSET Valorant team

XSET Valorant player Zachary ‘zekken’ Patrone has all but confirmed that G2 Esports were interested in signing his team – before the controversy with Andrew Tate.

A September 21 story from the Washington Post confirmed earlier reports that G2 Esports were on the brink of joining Riot Games’ international Valorant league in the Americas before the controversy involving Carlos Rodríguez, the organization’s CEO, and Andrew Tate.

G2 ended up missing out on a spot in the Americas league, where partners will be given annual stipends of at least $600,000. This represents a huge blow to G2’s North American expansion plans as they aim to become a more global gaming and entertainment brand.

Lance Skundrich/Riot Games

G2 had set their sights on XSET’s team, one of the strongest lineups in NA

According to the Washington Post, G2 expressed “strong interest” in XSET’s lineup and coaching staff if the North American organization did not make it into the league. XSET were not among the ten organizations picked by Riot for the Americas competition, leaving the future of one of the region’s best Valorant teams up in the air.

And on Twitter, zekken appeared to lament that the controversy with Andrew Tate ended up ‘costing’ him and his teammates a move to G2.

“Having to explain to my mom how Andrew Tate cost me a job is not where I thought I would be a month ago,” he wrote on Twitter.

XSET team’s future

On Twitter, the Boston-based organization said it will “support” the players in finding a place in the league. XSET’s women’s team, XSET Purple, will compete in VCT Game Changers, while the organization is “evaluating our options” when it comes to the men’s competition for 2023.

Four of the team’s players, including zekken, have already announced that they are open to offers as unrestricted free agents. XSET ended the season with a 5th-6th place finish at Valorant Champions 2022 – their second international appearance after also attending VCT Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen, where they came in 7th-8th place.