Star League of Legends jungler Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski has formally announced his departure from G2 Esports after five years of outstanding performances.
In a recent video announcement, Jankos confessed his reasons for departing and the struggles he’s had with G2 over the past four years. Although there have been rumors of the jungler leaving G2 over the past two days, nothing was official until today.
Unlike most other League of Legends professionals, Jankos didn’t wait for G2 to tweet or post regarding the same. The Polish veteran went above and beyond to create a 14-minute clip speaking about his time with G2 and what went wrong at Worlds 2022.
Additionally, the jungler revealed that he didn’t plan on leaving G2 until later this year. Instead, the organization intended to “experiment with a different jungler” in 2023.
Jankos is leaving G2 Esports, but not retiring from pro League of Legends
G2 won the LEC Spring Split this season while coming in second place in the Summer Split. Similar success followed with a top four finish at MSI. However, this was followed by an underwhelming group stage exit at Worlds. Jankos said:
“We were everywhere we could be from a competitive point of view. As much as we did get clapped at Worlds, there’s many people who wish they could be clapped at Worlds instead of sitting at home and watching.”
Over the years, Jankos had established himself as a key pillar of G2. He, along with players like Rasmus “caPs” Borregaard and Luka “Perkz” Perković, have been at the center of their success.
From the team’s MSI win in 2019 that helped restore faith in the Western League of Legends to all of their excellent performances both domestically and internationally, Jankos has played a massive role.
I’m still under contract, but after 5 years with G2, I’ve been allowed to explore my options for 2023. It was a long journey with ups and downs, but eventually all things have to come to an endFor anyone interested, please contact : [email protected] https://t.co/Ckvu83QrBE
Jankos’ departing video, despite the news, had a positive outlook on the future. In the big picture, he suggested that G2’s choice “makes perfect sense” and may be advantageous to him.
The jungler stated that although he isn’t retiring, he would like to play to the best of his ability in “the final few years I have left in me.” Even though Jankos is one of the top junglers in Europe, he is now 27 years old, making him older than many other LEC players.
Although Jankos is unsure of his future plans, he claimed that the time he spent playing for G2 marked the “greatest years of his life.” In 2023, he is likely to join a strong League of Legends team in the West as he’s still considered to be a top-tier jungler in Europe. The veteran was also voted into the League of Legends’ second All-Pro team this past split.
Jankos stated:
“I’ve been a part of this team for so long now that changing environments, for me, can actually be beneficial. Wherever I end up, If I really want to give it my best for the last couple of years I have left in me, it would be good for me to play with different players, maybe on a different org. Just to try something else.”
The 2023 League of Legends LEC season will start in January, however, free agency will start on November 22 when contracts for players all over the world expire.