European heavyweights Fnatic have announced their entry in to Rainbow Six esports with the acquisition of ex-Mindfreak roster who finished 5-8th at the World Championships in February.

Fnatic has today announced their entry into the world of Rainbow Six in what will be a huge move for both Rainbow Six as an esport and the wider Asia-Pacific scene. This is one of the biggest roster acquisitions in Australian esports history and bodes extremely well for the future of the impressive roster and rapidly growing scene.

Australian esports history and bodes extremely well for the future of the impressive roster and rapidly growing scene.

Only 4 days ago, Mindfreak had announced their decision to release their Rainbow Six roster to pursue other organisational representation. Fnatic have been in talks with Mindfreak for some time and the acquisition means that they will have increased financial support and infrastructure to enable them to continue to compete at the highest level possible in Rainbow Six. The roster will remain in Australia for the foreseeable future with no plans to relocate to EU at the moment.

The team was expected to be in high demand and was rumoured to have been in talks with NA organisation the Detroit Renegades before Fnatic approached them. Over the last 6 months we have seen a sharp increase in the amount of elite organisations entering into Rainbow Six esports such as FaZe, Liquid, CLG, SK, Evil Geniuses, and now Fnatic. All of them aiming to grab a slice of the metaphorical Rainbow Six pie as the game continues its rapid rise in the world of competitive gaming.

I caught up with Fnatic Rainbow Six Siege Coach Jayden ‘Dizzle’ Saunders and captain, Etienne ‘Magnet’ Rousseau to get their view on what signing with Fnatic means to them.

Dizzle: “Fnatic is a premier brand in esports. They are making a very strong return in the APAC scene. We, from the start, have only ever wanted to do APAC proud and put APAC on the map in terms of esports. Fnatic has roots in Australia which was important, but as a global organisation they have the ability to help elevate not only our gameplay to compete with the best, but also each of us as individuals and as our own brands. They can provide a career in and after esports and an opportunity like no other. With Fnatic’s help we can not only put APAC on the map, now we set out to make history”

Magnet: Fnatic is one of the most prestigious gaming organisations in the world, thus the choice between fnatic and another org heavily favoured fnatic. I’m humbled by their decision to choose us in the APAC scene yet excited to prove that we are worth investing in. This is a huge step for the APAC scene, the biggest in my opinion, and I think we’ve been the ones to work hard and deserve this opportunity

Fnatic’s new roster make their debut under the organisation this weekend as they compete in the APAC LAN finals for Season 7 of Rainbow Six Pro League. A weekend of top-tier Rainbow Six Pro-League action awaits on the 14th and 15th of April at the ESL Studios in Sydney. Watch live at the studios or stream it at home on Twitch as teams battle it out to earn a spot at the Season 7 global finals in the USA in May.

Tickets for this weekend is available here.