Japanese Valorant pro player Hideki “Fisker” Sasaki was dropped from FAV Gaming for allegedly cheating on his wife. Japanese news outlet, Shūkan Bunshun reported that Fisker initially declined the rumors but was later dropped from FAV Gaming quietly in October. Fisker played alongside Crazy Raccoon's Valorant roster in 2021 and is quite popular in the Japanese esports ecosystem. Notably, on 11th November, Fisker also took to Twitter to apologize to the fans and explained the situation further via a detailed statement.

What did the report say?

According to Shūkan Bunshun (translated), a person close to the developments spoke on the condition of anonymity and explained the events. It added that the source talked about the rumors that were spread about Fisker having an affair in August.  

On 10th October, Fisker allegedly engaged in a fistfight with a team official. “Fisker, who had clearly denied [the rumors] to his manager, had discussed his infidelity with some of the people involved in the team. The team officials who were consulted told the team members about Fisker's situation. When Fisker learned of this, he said to the team official, 'Why are you telling me this? and a fistfight broke out,” according to the report.

Following this, Fisker reportedly admitted to the manager that he had been unfaithful and later FAV Gaming announced the dismissal of the pro player.

FAV Gaming’s statement on Fisker

On 11th November, FAV Gaming released its statement regarding Fisker’s situation. FAV noted that it recently confirmed a “breach of contract with Valorant division player Fisker.” The investigation reportedly revealed that the violation was true and that the Valorant pro’s contract was terminated on 31st October. FAV Gaming added, “We apologize for the delay in announcing this due to coordination with related parties. At our team, we will reinforce the awareness of compliance among all staff members, including our players, strengthen the guidance and management system, and thoroughly prevent [a] recurrence.”

Notably, the team also apologized to fans, and sponsors for the concern and inconvenience caused.

Fisker issues a statement

On 11th November, Fisker apologized to fans and added that he was notified by FAV Gaming that his contract was terminated.

He took full responsibility and stated that it was all due to his “bad behavior” and that he had been unfaithful to his wife.  Fisker said that he and his wife have been separated for months and have been discussing a formal divorce. “Since it is a private matter, I apologize for not telling the fans,” said Fisker. Notably, he also addressed the altercation with the team member in his long statement.

“Such selfish and irresponsible behavior lacks self-awareness that I should be prepared as a professional athlete and as a member of society before that, and it shows that I have no respect or gratitude for those who have come into close contact with me,” added Fisker. 

While some reports suggested that Fisker could potentially transfer to Japanese organization Fennel Esports, the organization clarified that this was not the case. It wrote on Twitter, “Today, some media outlets have incorrectly reported that Fisker has decided to transfer to FENNEL,” and added that it was not the case.