Jamppi Reveals He Almost Quit Valorant For Returning To CS:GO

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Report: Liquid Jamppi Reveals That He Almost Quit Valorant For CS:GO Return

Would ENCE have signed back Jamppi?

Aditya Singh Rawat
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Highlights
Jamppi had considered a return from competing in Valorant back to CS:GO following Valve's decision to change how VAC ban affects players.
The change in guidelines had been announced by Valve in April 2021, just two months after Jamppi had taken a decision to quit CS:GO and move to Valorant.
Jamppi in an interview revealed that following Valve's decision he told Team Liquid's coach that "I was going to quit Valorant and go back to CS:GO".

Finnish esports star, Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen, has been enjoying his time competing and grinding Valorant with Team Liquid, qualifying for various Master level tournaments and even competing in the world championships, VALORANT Champions 2021.

Despite all the success Jamppi has witnessed so far, there was a time when he had thought about returning back to CS:GO, just a few months after his retirement from the game. This change in mindset was due to the new 'RMR Eligibility Guidelines' that Valve had released on 15th April 2021, revising the terms of how a VAC (Valve Anti Cheat) banned CS:GO player could become eligible to participate in Valve-sponsored tournaments.

The main reason for Jamppi switching from CS:GO to Valorant was the controversial VAC ban imposed against him, due to which he could not participate and compete in any CS:GO Major or its qualifiers. The rule change by Valve basically ensured him a sustainable future in the game and hence piqued his interest

Team Liquid Valorant player Jamppi talks about the time he was serious about returning to CS:GO

Jamppi and Valve go a long way back due to the controversial VAC ban imposed against the Finnish player by the developers. This was not a problem for the 20-year-old during his initial days as an upcoming CS:GO player, but soon it became clear for Jamppi that he might never be able to compete in the upper echelons of the game due to this huge limitation.

He filed a lawsuit against Valve which took the entire esports community by storm, standing divided between those who supported Jamppi's cause and those who believed that the VAC ban along with its harsh punishment was absolutely justified.

Though the case went in Valve's favour in the end, due to many mistakes made by the lawyer representing Jamppi, which included suing the wrong company along with many other errors pointed out by Valve, it did have an impact on Valve's view towards how a VAC ban affected a professional CS:GO player.

Almost a year later Valve changed its guidelines related to VAC banned CS:GO players being eligible for participation in the CS:GO Major and its qualifiers. Unfortunately, by this time Jamppi had already switched to competing in Valorant along with Team Liquid.

Jamppi celebrates following Valve's VAC ban update policy

Though at the time, Jamppi had said that he was not thinking about returning to CS:GO, in an interview with Dexerto he went on to reveal that, "I basically told Team Liquid and my coach, Sliggy, that I was going to quit Valorant and go back to CS:GO. After a few days, I messaged family and friends asking them what I should do. I started thinking more about it and then I made the decision (to stay). I don’t think CS is going to change that much in the future. If I want to go back, I can do it. But I think Valorant is going to change a lot.”

He further explained how his phone and social media had lit up as he started receiving messages about the change in Valve's stance on VAC ban affected players, while also being questioned if he was considering a return to the game. Additionally, he even received multiple offers from CS:GO teams and organizations, which further added to him almost quitting Valorant in favour of the Valve title.

Note: The topic starts from 4:38 onwards.

Jamppi has continued competing in Valorant ever since, even representing Liquid at the VALORANT Champions 2021. In recent times, the team failed to qualify for VCT 2022: Stage 1 Masters - Reykjavík, but it seems that the Finn is committed to competing in Valorant itself.


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Aditya is the in-house CS:GO writer at AFK Gaming. While his understanding of the esports space is not restricted by geographical borders, his current focus lies in the Asian region. Understands and follows almost all major esport titles.

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