Gentle Mates expands internationally. According to sources at Sheep Esports, M8 has reached a verbal agreement with Robbie “RobbieBk” Boerkamp for the upcoming VCT EMEA season. Three different EMEA teams were interested in the Gentle Mates new player. The Dutch in-game-leader will be the first non-French player in the history of the club, which joined VALORANT in 2023. However, RobbieBk is already familiar with France.

In 2024, the Initiator played for Joblife in the VCL France. He had an almost perfect year there, winning both Stages of the competition. A great Sova player, he could have even helped JL win promotion to the VCT EMEA, but the club suffered a series of incidents during the Ascension tournament and was eliminated in the group stage. Gentle Mates had actually won the Ascension Tournament in 2023, and thus enjoyed their first season in the EMEA elite this year.

A difficult year

The club had decided to maintain its entire roster, but the results hadn't been there. M8 lost both its Kick-Off matches to Vitality, then failed to progress beyond the group stage of Stage 1. Gentle Mates then made the first change in its history by recruiting Thomas “kAdavra” Johner. Once again, M8 failed to find the formula and finished last in the Omega group at Stage 2.

RobbieBk isn't exactly Gentle Mates' first recruit of the offseason. The team founded by Lucas “Squeezie” Hauchard, Corentin “Gotaga” Houssein and Kevin “Brawks” Georges also has a new coach, Alex “Goked” Kie, as previously reported by Sheep Esports.