RpK comes back in Titan

Titan have been without a fifth ever since Hovik "⁠KQLY⁠" Tovmassian was banned by Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) just before DreamHack Winter 2014 over a month ago, which was followed up by his dismissal from Titan.

The team used their coach, Jeremy "⁠ioRek⁠" Vuillermet, in his place in various online matches and more importantly at ESEA Invite Season 17 Global Finals, where Titan ended up at shared fifth place following a lost series to iBUYPOWER.

Titan have now announced that they have found a replacement in Kévin "⁠Ex6TenZ⁠" Droolans's long-time teammate from VeryGames, 25-year-old Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy. 

It's been almost two years since he retired due to starting a carreer in a car business, his last tournament was Prague's AMD Sapphire CS:GO Invitational in December 2012.

DreamHack Winter 2012 right before was RpK's best tournament in CS:GO, where he ended up on top of the stat sheet with a stunning 1.38 rating despite finishing runner-up to NiP.

"I'm sure that my comeback may surprise some, but after two years away from the game I return fully determined to pick up where I left off." Guipouy said in Titan's press release.

"I've been following the scene from a distance, and I am pleasantly surprised by its growth and development. After being approached by Titan and following a long talk with Jérôme, I took a few hours to reflect on the decision, after which I decided to launch the game and jump into a deathmatch. I immediately had a good experience and the overall game play seemed better than I remembered it, with new features like skins or the interface to follow major tournaments like DreamHack already adding real value to the game. In starting to play again it felt as if rediscovering CS, and that motivation helped me find my form quite quickly.

I still have much to work on, especially on the tactical side of things, but I am already looking forward to facing the big powerhouses of today's CSGO scene.

I would like to thank my teammates in Titan for giving me this comeback opportunity. The "TANK" is as good as new, but it's still going to need a little practice to reach its peak efficiency :D"

The team's manager, Jérôme "NiaK" Sudries, has also explained the process of choosing a new player and welcomed RpK into the team:

"The comeback of a player such as RpK is in and of itself a great source of joy, made even better by the fact that we will now be able to move forward again as a team.

I reached out to Cédric because I was set on taking a full month to weigh up all alternatives, and it was now or never to consider an option such as his return. However, there were too many unknowns to allow us to be too enthusiastic, so in parallel with this route we also favored the option of exploring new talent outside the network of known players. I was very surprised by some of these players, and I know that we will see the emergence of some talented new players in the coming months.

In the end, however, Cedric managed to convince us that he could bring what we were looking for, with the added bonus of him having a fresh take on the game as well as the advantage of past experiences with everyone in the team.

After a difficult year, this comeback feels like a new beginning. The road ahead of us may not be clearly mapped out yet, but I know that I can rely on a united group of players, all of whom I trust to give this team the means to make 2015 a much better year."

Titan's lineup is now following:

Kévin "⁠Ex6TenZ⁠" Droolans
Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire
Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub
Mathieu "⁠Maniac⁠" Quiquerez
Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy