The M80 organization, which was one of the main faces of the North American tier-2 VALORANT scene, has announced its departure from the discipline. According to founder and CEO Marco Mereu, the reason was that Riot Games did not select M80 as one of the eight VCT Americas partner teams for the 2027-2028 competitive cycle. The decision is driven by massive financial risks and a lack of competitive integrity in the new ecosystem.
This move marks the end of a three-year run for M80 in VALORANT. During this time, the club established itself as a dominant force: the team fell just one step short of the franchised league at the Ascension tournaments in 2023 and 2024, and in 2026 finally qualified for the VCT Americas Stage 2 Play-Ins. Additionally, the organization served as a launching pad for well-known players such as Mohamed "johnqt" Amine Ouarid, GianFranco "koalanoob" Potestio, and Daniel "eeiu" Vucenovic.
Explaining the reasons for the exit, Marco Mereu detailed the financial aspect. Maintaining a successful Challengers-level roster (five players, a head coach, and an analyst), including salaries and travel expenses, costs approximately $500,000 per year. To recoup these investments outside the partner league, a team must successfully compete in all Cup tournaments and make it to at least one Masters event. Missing even a single tournament means hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. The organization refused to take the path of cutting salaries, emphasizing that playing at the highest level is a full-time job that requires decent compensation.
However, the deciding factor, according to the CEO, was the lack of a level playing field. In the new closed system, non-partner teams will not be able to retain their best players. At the first opportunity, agents will transfer successful esports athletes to partner clubs that offer better financial conditions, forcing other organizations to constantly rebuild their teams from scratch.
M80's position was fully supported by Shopify Rebellion co-owner Ludwig Ahgren, whose organization also failed to secure a partnership slot. Overall, M80 joins a growing list of clubs that have already left the VALORANT scene, including Global Esports, RIDDLE, FOKUS, and S8UL Esports.
Marco Mereu noted that the decision to leave VALORANT breaks his heart, as M80's history began with this exact game. At the same time, the management emphasized that the organization loves the game and the community, and is ready to return as soon as the economic model of the esports scene becomes more balanced.
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