The fact that Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau and Oskar “Selfmade” Boderek chose not to extend their contracts with Fnatic caught us all by surprise. It’s not the kind of news one would ever expect at the halfway point of the season. Then again, there are many problems over in Fnatic, and they haven’t been able to fix them ever since Rasmus “Caps” Winther left in favor of G2 Esports. 

And, as always, everyone jumped to their conclusions, which — as is so often the case — were quite diverse. Without a concrete answer in sight, we were left to our own devices. However, Bwipo has decided to share his thoughts on the matter during a recent personal stream. 

According to Bwipo’s admission, he doesn’t want to play for a team like Fnatic if he can’t perform at a high enough level. Now, given his recent performances, there’s an underlying logic behind his statement. Then again, it’s a somewhat strange thing to highlight primarily because this wasn’t the first time he underperformed, so it’s impossible not to take his explanation with a bit of reserve. Why the sudden change of heart? 

He also mentioned that he might have “other options” available. What he meant by that is anyone’s guess. It’s either an offer from a different team (almost surely a North American one) or a full-time casting gig with the LEC. The former makes a lot of sense from a financial standpoint, with the latter being an equally alluring option — one that almost certainly isn’t a coincidence! There’s ample room for Bwipo on the analyst desk, perhaps now more than ever, and he’d be wise to take up such an offer (assuming that it’s on the table). 

He’s still an exceptional player and can compete at the highest levels, but that invariably comes at a cost. Community backlash and vitriol are par for the course, and doubly so if you’re wearing a Fnatic jersey. Naturally, there comes the point in one’s career when you’re either fed up with such a thing (i.e., having a target on your back) or want to branch out and see where it might lead. 

All in all, Bwipo is keeping his cards close to his chest, which is the best course of action. He could re-sign with Fnatic (if things pan out well enough come Summer Split), move across the Atlantic and sign for an LCS team, or perhaps even become a full-time LEC analyst — his options are varied and quite alluring. 

Bwipo extending his contract with Fnatic doesn’t make a lot of sense right now, especially given the way things recently unfolded. So, he might as well test free agency and see where it takes him. That said, we feel fairly confident that Bwipo already has a “back-up” plan prepared and is just waiting for the right moment to make his announcement — whatever that announcement might be. 

Bwipo isn’t the only top-tier LEC player who might be making a move over to North America — his teammate Elias “Upset” Lipp is ruminating on such a decision as well. He was very straightforward with his opinion and view on things during a recent stream. It was the kind of moment of honesty that truly illuminates what these players go through daily; the options they have to weigh and their decisions tend to be quite overwhelming, especially when millions of dollars are on the table. 

There’s a lot of pent-up frustration, and rightfully so. Upset is undoubtedly a spectacular player, but he could never leave much of a mark, often for reasons outside of his control. If he can’t win the LEC and going to Worlds isn’t an option, why not go to NA and earn two or three times? It’s not just about the money, of course, but it’s certainly not a negligible benefit. 

It’s a strange position to be in — so close to attaining greatness and yet so far away. Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see where these two talented players will eventually end up. It’s still too early to predict anything with confidence, but another LEC exodus might be in the cards come November.