Vexed Gaming is set to close down.
Vexed Gaming is set to close, following the departure of two key members of the organisations management team. The organisation, based in the United Kingdom, has emailed members of their Apex Legends team telling them Vexed will be shut down.
That leaves one of EMEA's strongest teams without an organisation just days before the ALGS Pro League is set to return.
Vexed Gaming management departs
The first sign of trouble at Vexed Gaming emerged earlier today. Stephen James and Dan O'Hare posted a joint statement on X, formerly Twitter, announcing their departure.
They expressed disappointment, and offered an apology for "failures of the broader company leadership." They added that "it is evident that mistakes were made long before the recession that have left us scrambling to keep the lights on for the past year."
Additionally, they alluded to serious problems behind the scenes. Including being "flat out lied too" which "had a knock on effect to the wider team and members of Vexed."
While their departure raised alarm bells, it initially seemed like both the Apex Legends and Valorant rosters would continue to represent the organisation in the short term. Speaking on stream, Apex Legends player Unlucky revealed they initially told their positions were secured for "something like three months."
Apex players dropped via email, mid scrims
However, that security quickly diminished. The Apex Legends team received an email that Vexed Gaming is shutting down. This leaves the team without an organisation right before the ALGS Pro League. It is understood the Valorant team have also received the same news.
This news took both the players, and wider Apex community by surprise. This news being delivered by email, in the middle of their final scrim block before ALGS Pro League left the players publically bemused. It appears the team had no inkling of any issues before today's developments.
It is no secret that lots of esports organisations are struggling financially. Sponsorships have become few and far between. This has both hurt organisations directly, but also indirectly as tournaments dry up and prize pools stagnate or decrease.
Vexed Gaming were also not included as one of the ALGS partner teams, but it is unknown as of right now if they applied for this programme.
Vexed Gaming roster was very successful in ALGS
This news leaves one of the most successful EMEA Apex Legends rosters as free agents. While the roster did struggle at both Year 3 Playoff events, they found great success in the EMEA region.
Vexed Gaming finished third, and then second in the two splits of the EMEA Apex Legends Pro League. This left them as arguably the most consistent online team in their region.
The roster was frustrated by their LAN performances, but with more experience under their belts, and the addition of Kind4 it is expected they will perform better across Year 4 LAN events.
However, this consistency might still not be enough to immediately land them a new home. Apex has struggled to attract new organisations, and EMEA has felt this more than other regions. Other successful rosters, like team 'o7' and 'Nessy' are yet to find a home.
Vexed Gaming had very passionate fans, and were a significant presence in the scene. Their presence will be missed in the Apex Legends community.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest ALGS news and Apex Legends updates.