Fnatic Sam
@sam• 04/11/2023Random Saturday AMA
I see a lot of comments on Twitter about many things in Fnatic.
If you have any burning questions about Fnatic, I’m Sam the CEO and happy to answer them.
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023Comments
SadmanPinon@SadmanPinon• 05/11/2023
Loading...I just want to know what has been the process behind choosing a coach for Valorant? What did Elmapuddy bring in (considering his mediocre track record with GenG) that the competition didnt have?
Kshatryia@Kshatryia• 05/11/2023
Loading...Hey thank you for letting us ask what we all want to know, so I will ask mine: Who will stay for sure in Fnatic lol team next year? Will you complete a team early or late based on what there is on the market? (In case of changing players naturally)
Have a good day!
CRex
@CRex• 04/11/2023
@CRex• 04/11/2023Loading...Really love this AMA, hope to see more in the future.
I’m impressed about the LOL team improvement and I have faith for the future.
What are the plans for the academy team? I heard not-so-good rumor about it.
IMO academy team could be the right place to develop our talented and young players and maybe to test new player for the main team.
Madscot
@Madscot• 04/11/2023
@Madscot• 04/11/2023Loading...Hey Sam,
Thanks for taking the time to do a quick AMA for the fans. In that same vein, what would you think about doing a video at the end of the year covering all subjects around Fnatic's season? (Valorant's success, LoL's rollercoaster season and the backlash from fans on the org and specifically on Dardo, the drop in competitiveness of CSGO, exiting from certain titles, misinformation on Fnatic's financial situation...).
Looking at the answers you've provided here, I'm seeing a lot of honesty and transparency that I feel we've lacked a bit the past years. I believe it would reassure and appease the fanbase if they can have a clear picture of everything that happened and erase some of the perceptions and narratives that have built up over the year.
I'd be happy to provide a list of subjects I think would be important to cover, if needed.
Sleep@sleep• 04/11/2023
Loading...Does the org have any long term plans with current rosters? How do you limit knee-jerk reactions to failure or unfortunate circumstances?
bosu@bosu• 04/11/2023
Loading...When will you make an effort for your latam fans who want to spend money in fnatic merch? Is it that hard?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@bosu Shipping is hard. We’ve opened it up in Mexico but other countries run risks of not delivery and sometimes other issues. I would love to ship there for sure or work with a local shop if there is one.
heny
@heny• 04/11/2023
@heny• 04/11/2023Loading...@sam Excellent year, especially for Valorant 👏 . Is it possible to add mini games to the fnatic app 👀. It's definitely not easy but simple pixel art games for the community would be nice
Brukii@Brukii• 04/11/2023
Loading...What happend to sponsors like BMW? I remember the time where they really wanted to invest in esports but then they suddenly disappeared.
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Brukii They had marketing budget cuts and cut their whole esports budget affecting us c9 t1 g2 etc
We loved working with them, and we hope they can reinvest in gaming again soon. I personally think it will have an impact on their future perception by young people if they aren’t active here.
ilex@ilex• 04/11/2023
Loading...Do you have any more plans to sell Fnatic decorations like the neon sign, love mine!. Also make the jersey orange. This year was a good improvement though
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@ilex Give us some ideas of other things to make. We’re always keen to do other stuff m.
Luka V.@Luximus• 04/11/2023
Loading...Is it possible to have fans engaged in discussions around new jersey and pro kit designs and selections? For example, Fnatic team and management select top 4 ideas/options, and then allow fans on this platform to vote and choose? Could be an interesting idea to explore.
Also, have you considered that Fnatic can use more environmentally-friendly or recycled materials for your products?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Luximus I would love this. I have some concerns if the hype gets lost tho if we don’t have the narrative and storyline aligned with the design. Definitely trying to think of a way to do this without leaking.
Maybe a fan advisory panel. I’d love that for next year our 20th birthday. The jersey however is already designed.
alexgh0st@alexgh0st• 04/11/2023
Loading...Maybe a totally random question, but do you guys check and read the opinions on FNCs reddit sub ?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@alexgh0st All the time. Although I check this forum way more and all the staff answer and hang here. If fans want answers come here. Our doors are always open.
luklesin@luklesin• 04/11/2023
Loading...Why do you thing we stopped being kings in LoL? Why did we lost Caps, Rekkles and Dylan Falco? (I love Humanoid, Noah and coaching team now but it besides the point)
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@luklesin We lost caps because of some poor judgement and a mistake in not renewing his contract before we entered the final year.
This set g2 up for the run they have had, as he’s a player many star players wanted to play alongside. Alongside that they have done great moves too and they are consistently our biggest rival.
Being king’s in one game consistently is extremely hard. More so than ever now than 4 years ago. I’m confident if we keep building our time will come, next year we have the pieces and raw talent already in place to make this run a reality. I’m super excited what a second split with this core will bring us.
hannie
@itzhannie• 04/11/2023
@itzhannie• 04/11/2023Loading...When will we get official fnatic team photocards that fans can buy?🥰
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@itzhannie Show me an example!
Makr9k@Makr9k• 04/11/2023
Loading...There are a lot of rumors that the organization has a lot of debt and possibly shutting down the entire brand, is this true? I realize that probably even if things are bad there will probably be an answer that the opposite is true, however just wanted to say that I really want to remain a fan of the black and orange forever! #ALWAYSFNATIC
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Makr9k Yeah that’s not true at all and the people writing those articles aren’t understanding finance. We raised over 50m usd. Of course we have historical losses because we’ve been investing not to mention buying our LEC spot for close to 10m usd. I answered another question regarding this above.
We have cash and we’re relatively close to profitablity.
S0LOB0LO@S0LOB0LO• 04/11/2023
Loading...What things would you like to improve on for the next year regarding LoL team structure and processes?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@S0LOB0LO I’ve answered this a few times above! 👆 💛🖤
Luka V.@Luximus• 04/11/2023
Loading...Can we expect that management will consider replacing LoL team director with someone who will bring new ideas and energy? I’m just wondering if you believe that it’s time to start fresh and with new ways of thinking in that part of the organisation. Thanks
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Luximus No because people don’t understand Dardos skillset and how the mistakes happened last year.
We don’t run any esports as if there is a king or a tsar calling all the shots. Dardo is one of the hardest working people we’ve ever worked with, and people jump on the bandwagon of hate without knowing what his day to day is.
The fact that we even made it back to worlds and got 2nd with multiple changes throughout the season is part of this work ethic and drive.
We won’t throw good people under the bus or pander to the pitchforks. We assess people on their contributions and where the mistakes happened. Did he make some mistakes, yes. Was that our fault because we didn’t have toolsets and process in place to support him, yes.
Has everything changed since last year on how we make moves, 100 percent. You only learn from failure.
I’m confident in the team we have now in central and locally to put our best foot forward in securing a squad that can win it all.
badboyct@badboyct• 04/11/2023
Loading...Hey , can you give our opinion about the year in league of legends ?
What you can do to improve next year ?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@badboyct I think we have a team chemistry which is about 10x better than last year, this means we have a very solid foundation and core. Going into the offseason we’re very much looking to build on that and all decisions will come to a central board for approval. We have a wealth of data and processes in place to assess the current team and new potential talent from support staff to the pros themselves.
We all acknowledge we made mistakes last offseason and we’re going to be doing everything in our power to have a solid foundation from the outset.
Cairnsy@Cairnsy• 04/11/2023
@Cairnsy• 04/11/2023Loading...@Sam How do we make Fnatic competitive on the international stage for LOL? Do you have a plan or is top 8 the only goal? It is an issue with EU as a whole but we want Fnatic to be leading the was again and make an international final. We don't really boot camp anymore and our prep is less sand less since 2018.
FnaticFan4ever@FnaticFan4ever• 04/11/2023
Loading...@Cairnsy Tbh I'm more worried about LEC for now because Fnatic was won 0 titles in the past 5 years.
I would love for Fnatic to focus on trying to get back on top in EU and then try to improve internationally.
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Cairnsy I answered this above. I agree the region and fnatic needs to do more to level up skill. I would actually say despite the challenges US teams have faced on local talent pool, they have done a good job to level up the region to an extend through bringing in no regional talent which in turn levels the local players up.
paolobitta111
@paolobitta111• 04/11/2023
@paolobitta111• 04/11/2023Loading...Hi Sam, first thing first, thanks for the effort in recovering this season after the rough start. A question, where do you think european league of legends teams need to work to hopefully reach the CN/KR level?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@paolobitta111 I think the challenge is solo q. It’s just no where near as good in eu as CN/KR. Naturally getting our star players to bootcamp more out there can help immensely. I think we can also do better in mindset, our teams are not resilient enough at the biggest stages, often can crumble quickly. It’s not an exact science on how to solve this but it takes a lot of team preparation.
Still I think actually having some players from other regions in the league can also help to level us up. We can learn a lot from their playstyle and tactics.
Shinajaku@Shinajaku• 04/11/2023
@Shinajaku• 04/11/2023Loading...Are we going to invest more into coaching (LoL) especially using software (like Tolki did) or TeamLiquid with SAP to have more and better insights into the meta / the opponent?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Shinajaku We’ve built extensive tooling this year in house and we currently have probably the most advanced in house data and tech support for our team. We’ve also begun working with a very big sports data company on a trial basis to build even more capabilities for the team.
The problem lies in implementation and utilisation. We’re going to be doing more efforts to put the teams in the same room and getting people using the products on a daily basis.
Esports is still so new in this area but we’re hoping to have a strong advantage here.
FnaticFan4ever@FnaticFan4ever• 04/11/2023
Loading...Hi Sam.
Would you consider increasing the coaching staff?
We saw how NRG benefited from it and we also saw how the draft cost us the 3rd game against Weibo.
Draft prep and pick and ban are very important nowadays.
Thank you.
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@FnaticFan4ever We’ll be exploring all options around coaching and support to players. Increasing doesn’t always mean better by the way, just because you have more staff doesn’t help necessarily the drafting phase, for example. Often there can be many impacts on that especially on stage which needs to be worked out, players preferences.
FnaticFan4ever@FnaticFan4ever• 04/11/2023
Loading...Is cArn still supporting/hands on the league side of things?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@FnaticFan4ever 100% along with Stewart, Ross and Anisha whoare all in the central PG function which offers support to all of our teams including a scouting team led by our data lead as well as local on the ground data and tech team in Berlin.
This year a lot of these functions have leveled up and excited to see the output.
pontus767@pontus767• 04/11/2023
Loading...I see the statement that comitting cs team to one country restricts options. But is that really the case?
In recent transfer windows you've if anything looked out of options as all the bigger talent / better players joined more attractive orgs that were also willing to pay buyouts.
And even if you now all of a sudden are willing to invest for real (you said it before too but didn't do it...), why would anyone want to join a team in this current state and with a history of serious mismanagement? (1 big event stage match in 3 years, take that in...) If you go swedish you could at least attract the few swedes there are based on them getting to play with swedes...
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@pontus767 So you’re suggesting we settle our aspirations for the years to come rather than aim to build to be a best team in the world at some point?
pontus767@pontus767• 04/11/2023
Loading...@pontus767 @sam Hey and thanks for the answer. I'm not suggesting settling aspirations, I'm suggesting finding a realistic way to get back to the top. Turn talk into action (been a lot of talk in recent years...).
If you want to be the best team you have to attract good players and make sure they stay and don't get recruited by other more attractive orgs (like mezii was).
One way of making yourself attractive for swedes would be by making a swedish team, goes without saying. However ofc everyone agrees it creates restrictions on who you can sign...
If you stay itl, you must find another way to make yourself an attractive option, as there at this point are 12 or so other itl tier 1 orgs competing for the same talent. In recent years they seem to have come out on top in every roster shuffle (given our outcome).
So question is, how are you planning on changing that so the eternal talk about bringing fnatic back to the top can actually become a reality?
Titro
@Titro• 04/11/2023
@Titro• 04/11/2023Loading...Hey Sam, how do you overall rate this year for League of Legends team (including all iterations)? If you think this year was good or successful, than as Fnatic fan I'm really disappointed, because this drought of trophies and shaking perfomance is realy frustrating to watch.
sian@sian• 04/11/2023
Loading...I have nothing to ask but thank u for making fnatic happen and getting into valorant current roaster is amazing
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@sian Thank you!!
Tipsa@Tipsalewoo• 04/11/2023
Loading...In your position, would be in favour of a 18 years old-limitation for LEC. Including competitive and business sides.
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Tipsalewoo Honestly I’m not strongly opinionated on this topic either way.
clown-of-ice@clown-of-ice• 04/11/2023
Loading...Hey sam, keep the same roster for atleast 1 split
altaria@altaria• 04/11/2023
Loading...Just wondering what your initial goals are for the 2024 lol team are in your mind - Trophies?, MSI?, Worlds?
Masterrein@Masterrein• 04/11/2023
@Masterrein• 04/11/2023Loading...What assurances can you give us about the CS team. I think i speak for a lot of people when i say the last 3 years have been incredibly disappointing considering where we once stood. And with mezzi leaving the future is looking more bleak than ever. What are we doing to stop us from fading into obscurity when it comes to CS?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Masterrein CS2 brings a new opportunity to create a legacy. Every year in esports is year 1. We entered valorant very late vs other teams but over the coarse of two years we built the best team in the world. We have so many learnings going forward and we have significant budget now to explore all options to rebuild a top 5 and eventually a top 1 team.
It’s not going to happen over night, when we started in CSGO we failed, then we signed flusha he and Olof. And became one of the best teams in history.
It’s a key focus for me and patrik and many others internally. I can only assure you we won’t rest till this team is winning trophies again. CS2 is here to stay and extremely exciting, I’m hoping a new wave of young players will rise up and we’ll make it one of the best places for them grow their career and to chose fnatic.
RyseQuinn@RyseQuinn• 04/11/2023
Loading...Are we ever going to get the office watch parties again? It was so great to be there in person watching Fnatic win LOCK-IN
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@RyseQuinn 100 percent we have had a few small ones around worlds but was hard with the timezone. Offfice is dope.
d0ze@d0ze• 04/11/2023
Loading...Hey Sam, long time ago I remember you mentioning something about Fnatic wanting a Valorant Game Changers roster. Is that still in our plans?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@d0ze That’s still the plan. But every decision in our org right now is getting to sustainability. In order to pick up a game changers team sustainably we’re exploring this discussion with incoming partners and want to tie the efforts associated with with building a world class team with the needs and demands of them.
Shoxious@Shoxious• 04/11/2023
Loading...I am Analyst, you need me for your lol Team 😅
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Shoxious Maybe one day! Look out for job roles
Lars89@Lars89• 04/11/2023
Loading...Fnatic Swedish cs2 when ?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@Lars89 We dont have plans to go back to all one country team, as it massively limits options.
Lars89@Lars89• 04/11/2023
Loading...@Lars89 On a serious note, I’m curious if fnatic is financially stable and healthy. I have heard fnatic lost some big sponsors..
hylintssang@hylintssang• 04/11/2023
@hylintssang• 04/11/2023Loading...Should we expect any changes on top/jg/mid in the league roster or we can feel safe? 🥲
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@hylintssang Nice name.
Honestly can’t say right now. But they played great and have a lot of potential.
spektur@spektur• 04/11/2023
Loading...Are there going to be any changes in the lol team?
Fnatic Sam@sam• 04/11/2023
@sam• 04/11/2023Loading...@spektur All up in the air. Discussions going on and evaluations of both internal team/staff and also whats on the market/possible.
My personal expectation is the bulk of the team to remain, but I’m also not the decider thats our core esports team.