Cloud9 have announced the signing of James "Hat" Hatfield to complete their Rainbow Six Siege X roster. The North American missed out on the first stage of the season after partying ways with Oxygen Esports.
The signing of Hat has been made to replace the team's former player Jaidan "Packer" Franz, whose departure was announced on August 14, 2025.
The 22-year-old made his professional debut for beastcoast as he played for the North American esports organization in the 2023 season. After partying ways with them, the player joined Luminosity Gaming, before moving to Oxygen Esports. He made his international debut with the green roster as he helped the team to finish among the best eight sides at the Six Invitational 2025.
Since partying ways with Oxygen Esports, Hat competed in North America's Tier 2 circuit. He was part of the orgless mix IVsakeN, a roster which included a majority of former professional players. Despite surprising the fans, the team was two matches short of reaching North America's top flight as they were knocked out by the eventual roster of ENVY.
Hat's final experience before Cloud9 was at ELEMENT FIVE where he played for the orgless mix of Certified Lover Boys. There, Hat helped the team to finish in third place, claiming a total of USD$2,000.
With the arrival of Hat, Cloud9's goal must be qualifying for the BLAST R6 Major Munich, especially considering the team didn't score any SI Points in the first split. However, with the league's top places being under the control of Spacestation, DarkZero Esports, Shopify Rebellion, Oxygen Esports, M80, and Wildcard, it will be quite difficult for Cloud9 to sneak in the league's Top 6.
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