French team Vitality has announced that Cedric «RpK» Goipue will be leaving the active roster after the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown. This decision was made after a number of disappointing performances, as the team failed to show much progress since the beginning of the year. Both at IEM Katowice and ESL Pro League 13 the French failed to advance beyond the group stage.
RpK's place in the main roster will be taken by twenty-two-year-old cyber athlete Jason «Kyojun» Nguyen Van. Team coach Remy «XTQZZZZ» Quonyam said the decision to change the lineup was difficult but necessary: «Cedric – an example of a tenacious player, confidently going after his goal and inspiring others. However, the team is facing some challenges and we need to find a new approach. Making the decision to keep a legendary player like RpK out of the competition is never easy, and we will do everything we can to support him».
RpK has been playing for Vitality since the cybersports organization first put together a CS: GO lineup in October 2018. The player, who is 31 years old by now, has contributed significantly to the team's big wins, such as appearances at ECS Session 7 Finals and EPICENTER 2019. It remains unclear for now what the player will do after leaving Vitality. In his tweet, he mentioned that he would be taking a break for a while to consider his future plans.