Sources: Dignitas to drop their male VALORANT roster

Editor’s note: This article was updated on March 31 to include comment from now-former Dignitas player Rory “dephh” Jackson

Dignitas is set to release their male VALORANT roster. This comes just seven months after the organization signed the team in August of 2020, according to sources.

The North American sports organization’s roster may release all five members later today. This will be prior to the upcoming VCT North America Stage 2: Challengers 1 tomorrow, according to one source. 

Dignitas changes VALORANT roster

The roster has dropped former CS:GO player Ryan “ryann” Welsh to be replaced by Hunter “BabyJ” Schline, according to the VCT registration page. 

The difficulty for North American organizations in VALORANT lies in the underperformance of the roster paired with inflated salaries. This is typical of any new esport. Dignitas, in particular, have failed to reach expectations over the past few months. 

Dignitas recently benched former Fortnite star and founding member Harrison “psalm” Chang for former Big Frames player GianFranco “koalanoob” Potestio, who is currently on trial. But, the roster failed to find immediate success; they lost to Ghost Gaming in the Nerd Street Gamers March Monthly Playoffs: Round of 16 on March 27. 

Koalanoob, however, performed on Jett with 35 frags and the highest average damage per round on his team. 

Dignitas’ most successful result was in the Pittsburgh Knights Before Christmas tournament in December. The side finished second place in the $10,000 event and lost 2-1 to Gen.G in the final. 

The organization had high expectations for the side with former CS:GO player Rory “dephh” Jackson. This was also the case with psalm headlining the roster alongside Kevin “poised” Ngo and Phat “supamen” Le in August. While Bryan “MAKKA” Drouillard joined the VALORANT roster in October, Dignitas later added Ryan “ryann” Welsh and Noah “rara” Giesbrecht last month. 

Tomorrow, April 1, the five-man roster will face off against Rice Ball Gang in the first round of the VCT Challengers.

Update: Former Dignitas player dephh confirmed the organization’s exit from the esport today.