Fnatic is one of the most popular and successful esports organizations in the industry. With almost 20 years of competing in titles such as League of Legends, Valorant, Dota 2, and CS:GO, the European org has had no shortage of success.
Join us in the review of this org as we go through its history, greatest accomplishments, and current rosters. In the meantime, if you want to place your esports bet on Fnatic you can do so right here at Thunderpick.
Fnatic’s History
If you want to know more about Fnatic, you’ve come to the right place. Founded in 2004 with its headquarters located in London, Fnatic entered the esports scene by fielding a team to compete in Counter-Strike 1.6.
Early success saw the org expand to other titles, including World of Warcraft in 2006, Dota in 2007, League of Legends in 2011, and CS:GO in 2012. Its quest for success in an ever longer list of games has continued throughout the years. This led the org to the holy grail of joining the sprawling Valorant scene in 2021.
Fnatic’s greatest accomplishments
Team Fnatic has set some incredible records that no other esports organization can boast, so let’s recap them.
First League of Legends World Champions
Worlds may be dominated by Asian teams in recent years, but old-school League of Legends fans know that Fnatic was the first-ever LoL Worlds winner back in 2011.
Granted, the championship at that time was far from the spectacle that Worlds has become today, with packed arenas cheering for their favorite teams as they fight for prize pools that rise above $2 million. Only eight squads competed during the event, with the Fnatic LoL team taking home the trophy and $50,000.
First CS:GO Major Winners
Similar to their League of Legends counterpart, the Fnatic CS:GO squad pulled a massive win that’s still remembered fondly by Counter-Strike fans. The crew came out on top at the first-ever CS:GO Major event and didn’t slow down for years.
The major CS:GO tournaments are directly sponsored by Valve, the CS:GO devs, and they hold a level of prestige way above anything else in the Counter-Strike esports scene.
Fnatic won the inaugural tournament in 2013, defeating Ninjas in Pyjamas. The team would go on to land two more big wins in 2015, making them the second most successful CS:GO organization, trailing only Astralis, a team that has won four of the events.
Fnatic’s CS:GO Team
Fnatic’s esports success in CS:GO is unmatched. Sadly, those glory days seem long gone. The team has not performed well at any recent Majors, and it even failed to qualify even once from 2019 to 2022.
Worse, there’s some uncertainty regarding the future of the team’s roster, thanks to the impending move to CS2. Whether we’ll see a new Fnatic team formed to compete in CS2 remains to be seen. As it stands, the current CS:GO roster is:
- Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson
- William “mezii” Merriman
- Nico “nicoodoz” Tamjidi
- Fredrik “roeJ” Jørgensen
- Dion “FASHR” Derksen
Fnatic’s Valorant Team
Valorant is the new kid on the block in gaming popularity, and Fnatic has had some incredible performances in this arena.
Mixing talent from across Europe, the org has been steadily improving and is now poised to take the gold at both Masters Tokyo and Valorant Champions.Its accolades in 2023 alone include winning the first international event of the year, LOCK/IN, and completing the VCT EMEA regular season undefeated with a 9-0 record.
The current Fnatic Valorant roster includes:
- Jake “Boaster” Howlett
- Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev
- Emir “Alfejer” Beder
- Leo Jannesson
- Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov
- Maks “kamyk” Rychlewski
Fnatic’s League of Legends Team
Fnatic and League of Legends — name a better duo. Fnatic is the first-ever Worlds winner, with seven Split titles under its belt. It’s also the only LEC team that’s reached Worlds finals more than once.
Sadly, recent years have not been kind. In the time since its last Split victory in 2018, G2 has won six of the Splits, overtaking Fnatic’s record as the team with the most LEC Split wins.
Both 2023 Splits have been disastrous for the org, ending its Winter Split with a 2-7 record, and failing even to qualify for the group stages. Its Spring Split performance was just slightly better. Fnatic made it to groups with a mediocre 4-5 record, only to be sent packing with no wins in the next round.
The Fnatic LoL roster includes:
- Óscar “Oscarinin” Jiménez
- Iván “Razork” Díaz
- Marek “Humanoid” Brázda
- Oh “Noah” Hyeon-taek
Fnatic’s Dota 2 Team (disbanded)
To say that Fnatic’s team in Dota 2 has not performed to the level of its League of Legends, Valorant, or CS:GO divisions would be an understatement. Still, they have a few decent results they can be proud of.
The biggest win came in 2012 when Fnatic won the Thor Open, a tier-1 graded tournament held in Stockholm, Sweden. The squad has also made appearances on The International, one of the most iconic esports events in the entire industry. However, Fnatic’s best outing there has only seen the team reach as far as 4th place in 2016.
As of 2023, the org ended its 11-year presence in Dota 2, promising it’s just a temporary move while the organization reassesses the importance of the esports title.
The last Dota 2 roster was:
- Kim “Gabi” Santos
- Armel Tabios
- Damien “Kpii” Chok
- Djardel “Dj” Mampusti
- Jaunuel Arcilla
Fnatic’s Rainbow Six Siege Team
Fnatic joined the Rainbow Six Siege scene in 2018 by picking up an all-Australian team to compete in the Asia Pacific League. Amid the COVID pandemic a couple of years later, the organization transitioned to a Japanese roster to compete online and has stuck with a primarily Asian squad since then.
Its best performances at major events include a 5th place finish at the Six Invitational 2019 and 2020, and 4th at the Pro League Season 8 and 9 finals.
The current Fnatic R6 Siege roster is:
- Etienne “Mag” Rousseau
- Kazuki “Lily” Yamane
- Kousei “Maou” Ota
- Ryuju “Mugi” Hata
- Taku “No2” Murakami
- Gunma “RuRn” Sakamoto
Socials
If you want to follow Fnatic across all their social media platforms, we’ve listed them all just for you.
Fnatic FAQ
Finally, let’s answer some common questions esports fans have regarding Fnatic.
Who owns Fnatic?
Sam Matthews founded Fnatic in 2004 and remains in the organization as CEO.
How does Fnatic make money?
The biggest source of revenue for Fnatic is its multiple sponsorships, which include Hisense, Jack Link’s, and Chop Value. The organization also sells all sorts of merchandise so the Fnatic fans can rep the team in style.
What is the Fnatic logo?
The Fnatic logo is a monogram. It combines two symmetrical shapes that, based on your perception, spell out the word Fnatic in its entirety. Think of it as a nice visual puzzle.
