Danish organisation Fragsters have opted to release their Overwatch roster rather than invest in sending them to offline events. In an announcement that went out on Monday they revealed that the players had been released from their contracts with immediate effect.

The official statement offers up the org's reasoning behind the decision:

"For the time being, Fragsters choose to focus on the more established gaming scenes and the talented e-athletes from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends. On behalf of staff and management, Fragsters wish the players and team manager David Pella, all the best in the future. Their contribution to Fragsters is highly appreciated."

The news comes less than five days before the roster was set to travel to Paris to compete in the Glory4gamers XTRA Cup Live Finals which they qualified for ahead of Swedish rivals b0nkers. Tournament organisers had made it known from the outset that expenses incurred attending the final would not be covered, so it seems an ultimatum was inevitable on their qualification.

When push came to shove Fragsters chose not to invest the €1,200-2,000 required to cover the trip. It was not the first Overwatch tournament that the organisation had declined to support, as Hunni outlined to over.gg:

"Fragsters refused to send us to events abroad such as the Paris one. It was the same with DreamHack Winter and also did we not get what other teams got from their organizations."

Although uncertainty continues to hang over the future of European Overwatch, the team fully intends to stay together and pay their own way to Paris to play as Grand Danois (Great Danes) if a financial backer cannot be found. They have put together a sponsorship deck, so if you have ever thought of starting an esports franchise, now may be the time.

It has also been confirmed that the trial period for DPS player MandeTrodser has been a successful one and he is now a fully fledged member of the team after a baptism of fire in the XTRA Cup. You can catch him and his fellow Danes competing against Dignitas, Riders and The Chavs for €5,000 in Paris this Saturday.

The Grand Danois roster is:

  • Daniel "Danii" Lindblad (Flex DPS)
  • Andreas "Lind" Lindblad (Support)
  • Eskil "Hunni" Keller-Larsen (DPS)
  • Gustav "Nerfdd" Guldager (Tank)
  • Kristian "Kellex" Keller (Support)
  • Mikkel "MandeTrodser" Hestbek (DPS)
  • David "DrunKin" Pella (Manager)