Yay takes a break from VALORANT

VALORANT superstar, Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker, has announced a break from competitive gaming due to medical reasons. The 25-year-old American player joined BLEED esports in September last year. 

Following a very unsatisfactory result in the VCT Stage 1 Pacific, yay has announced he is taking a break. He wants to take some time to focus on his health and BLEED esports announced their support for his decision. 

"Health and wellness are at the forefront of our priorities at BLEED" said Ian Huston, COO of BLEED Esports. "yay will be missed as he gets back to 100%, but he has our full support throughout this return. Please be kind through this process and make sure to send him your support!."

This is not the first time that the player has taken a break from VALORANT. He had announced a similar step back from VALORANT late last year, shortly after joining BLEED esports. 

After playing as the best player on NRG, Yay’s decision to join BLEED esports in September last year came as a huge surprise to the community. Moving from North America to South East Asia, the player had his task cut out for him. With a very experienced coach, the team attempted to improve their performance and results in the region. However, despite multiple attempts, they have not been able to become even the best team in the region. 

VCT Stage 2 Pacific kicks off in mid-June and it does not seem likely that Yay will make a comeback to the team before then. For now, the VALORANT scene is eagerly awaiting the start of VCT Masters Shanghai that kicks off later this month. BLEED esports failed to qualify for the Masters Event following a 9-10th place finish in Stage 1 League.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest VALORANT news and updates.