Image via GUTS Gaming
In an abrupt announcement on Jan. 25, GUTS Gaming stated that the organization was withdrawing completely from competitive Rainbow Six Siege.
A source in the team implied that the players and team staff were not informed of the decision before the public announcement.
“I was told today and I am still trying to figure it all out,” said the team member. The team had been scrimming up until the day before the announcement.
The future of the GUTS roster is unclear. The move comes a day after Ubisoft announced that three teams would qualify for APAC North for 2022 through the APAC Relegations -- one more than Ubisoft previously stated would be qualifying.
However, it is unclear if the additional slot is directly due to GUTS Gaming's departure.
GUTS Gaming had been in Siege since early 2019, and had secured promotion to the ESL Pro League for Season 10. However, after an initially promising start, GUTS only finished sixth in the 2020 APAC North season.
In 2021, GUTS finished third, fifth, and second in each APAC North stage, narrowly missing out on qualification to the Sweden Major in Stage 3 after a final-day loss. Despite that performance, GUTS had also failed to qualify through the APAC Playoffs, and then finished second to Talon Esports in the APAC North Six Invitational 2022 Qualifier.
Domestically, GUTS had finished second in Season 3 of the Japan Nationals 2020, third in the Japan Championship 2020, fourth in the Japan League 2021, and top six in the Japan Championship 2021.
This is a developing story. Check back here for any further updates.