- WJ continues its wave of roster moves
- Happy and vigilante become the latest players who are leaving the organization
- Rumors say WJ is doing this due to severe budget restrictions
Washington Justice continues to release players but this is leaving them in a vulnerable position with just six members on its roster.
WJ Releases Happy and Vigilante
For many esports organizations, the off-season is a time for restructuring, and for players it’s a time to look for new opportunities. The many CDL players registering as free agents is a great example of that. However, Overwatch is also in its offseason, prompting many teams to make significant changes to their rosters.
One such organization is Washington Justice, which is going all wild on releasing many players. Most recently, the team has let go of Lee “Happy” Jung-woo and Kim “vigilante” Jun. They follow Kim “Mag” Tae-sung, whom Justice recently sent to Boston Uprising.
WJ also recently parted ways with assistant coach Jung “Tydolla” Seung-min. Additionally, Aaron “PRE” Heckman deleted his Twitter account after posting one last message addressed to fans, the remains of which were saved on Reddit. “Thank you to everyone,” the post read, “who understands that the situation we are in is awful and that we’re doing everything we can to give people a shot at success.” It is currently unknown if PRE is still with the Justice because he removed all mentions of his association with the team.
What’s Next for Washington Justice?
While Happy and vigilante quickly found new homes in Los Angeles Gladiators and Atlanta Reign respectively, Justice is left with only five players on its roster. This is one player below the minimum required players on the squad, so the organization will fill the sixth slot with a staff member for the remainder of the season in order to comply with the OWL’s regulations.
Washington Justice decided on this course of action just a few days after a report from GG Recon said that the organization is looking for ways to drastically decrease costs. Releasing multiple players to the point of having to make up minimum required numbers with staff members, is a very risky move from WJ and it’s doubtful it will pay off in the long run.
There are still two tournaments left in the Overwatch League competitive season: the Countdown Cup in October and the playoffs. WJ will have to get through these events with its current roster consisting of tank player Shin “Kalios” Woo-yeol, support players Jung “Krillin” Yung-hoon and An “OPENER” Gi-beom, and DPS players Gui-un “Decay” Jang and Kim “Assassin” Sung-won.
