shox allowed to explore options outside of Apeks

The Frenchman is on the hunt for a new home after just three months of service with the Norwegian organisation.

Apeks have announced that Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon has been allowed to explore his options on other teams. The organisation stated that the Frenchman will "not be a part of our active roster moving forward," explaining that a "difference in vision" was the reason for the decision.

The news came after the entire main roster withdrew from competition back in September following a string of poor performances, citing the team needed "time to reflect and evaluate."

shox completed his surprise signing with the Norwegian organisation back in August, joining the European combine after a failed stint with Liquid in the first half of the year, with the 30-year-old later commenting that his decision to move himself to the bench was "inevitable."

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Apeks withdraw from ESEA Advanced: "We need time to reflect and evaluate"

Following the addition of the French veteran and Justinas "⁠jL⁠" Lekavicius and the transition of Martin "⁠STYKO⁠" Styk to the role of the in-game leader, the team were unable to produce many noteworthy results in spite of their roster overhaul over the summer. Their unusual decision to head stateside to compete at Fragadelphia 17 failed to bear fruit as they finished in 3-4th place following a disappointing 1-2 loss to BIG Academy in the semi-finals.

The side's biggest let-down, however, came in the form of their inability to qualify for the IEM Road to Rio Europe RMR, missing out on a spot at the Major-qualifying LAN after unsuccessful runs through all four open qualifiers.

This shock absence from the all-important Regional Major Ranking event also resulted in shox losing his prestigious record of attending every Major since CS:GO's release, an achievement that is now held by just one player: Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen.

Apeks and shox will possibly be awaiting the conclusion of the IEM Rio Major for a chance to evaluate their options, with teams and players alike often using the end of the biggest event of the season as a chance to bolster their ranks or seek out new opportunities.

As of now Apeks currently have the following players on their books:

Tim "⁠nawwk⁠" Jonasson
Joakim "⁠jkaem⁠" Myrbostad
Martin "⁠STYKO⁠" Styk
Justinas "⁠jL⁠" Lekavicius
Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon

Jakub "⁠kuben⁠" Gurczyński (coach)