Winterfox releases Street Fighter V pros 801 Strider and Samurai
Winterfox has announced it is releasing Street Fighter V pros Gustavo “801 Strider” Romero and Miky “Samurai” Chea.
The players have allegedly received better offers and Winterfox has said it “can’t keep the players any longer,” in a statement sent to Yahoo Esports.
801 Strider is going through a resurgence in Street Fighter V playing as Laura in Season 2. He played Karin and Ryu in Season 1 but couldn’t replicate the same success he had in Street Fighter IV as a Capcom Cup 2015 qualifier. So far this year 801 Strider has finished fifth in Capcom Pro Tour Premier Event Final Round and Ranking Event West Coast Warzone.
“I want to thank Winterfox for everything,” 801 Strider said in the statement. “We’ve been together for almost two years now and I’ve had the pleasure of working side by side with some of the most honest, trustworthy individuals. [COO] Ryan Armendariz and [Owner] Brian Cordry have been nothing but amazing to work with, I wish them the best in their future endeavors. I am looking forward to the rest of the CPT season as I pursue other options.”
Samurai joined the team back in November after Red Bull Battle Grounds. He qualified for his first Capcom Cup in 2016 and is currently ranked 34th on the CPT 2017 Global Leaderboard. He has finished 13th at NorCal Regionals and third at West Coast Warzone.
“I’m very sad to say that I will be parting ways with Winterfox,” Samurai said in the statement. “It has been a great opportunity and I loved every minute of it. Ryan Armendariz and Brian Cordry did everything they could to further my career in professional gaming. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for I have obtained more than just an experience with a professional organization, but I’ve also obtained their life-long friendship.”
“I am beyond happy to have had the opportunity to work with these two men for as long as I did,” Armendariz said. “Having been able to get to know them as players and people over the last couple years has me certain that their futures as pro players will be quite bright. I hope their new opportunities can give them everything that we couldn’t and more. I am distraught that our time together has come to an end but am excited to see where they can go.”
It is not clear at this time if Winterfox will pursue more fighting game players for its roster.
Both players are expected to attend Combo Breaker this month and 801 Strider is the reigning “King of the Hill” in ESL’s weekly Street Fighter V tournament series.
Michael Martin covers SFV and the FGC. Follow him on Twitter @Bizarro_Mike.
