Though they won an ALGS title less than a week ago, it appears the team of Phony, Xynew, and Koyful may be a thing of the past after their org, Spacestation Gaming, announced it’s parting ways with the squad today.
The announcement came to the shock of many in the Apex Legends community after seeing SSG lift the trophy on Sept. 1 in Mannheim, Germany following a thrilling 10-match final. But according to Unit, the CEO of SSG, this move was determined before the Split Two Playoffs even began. According to Unit’s post, the team was “going through internal issues” during the Esports World Cup and had talked about either making changes or disbanding altogether. With rosters already locked for the Split Two Playoffs, however, the team decided to play. But instead of extending their contracts with SSG, they opted to look for other options, which the org is now allowing them to do.
Unit’s post concludes by saying SSG is “not done with Apex Legends,” and the org will be looking to sign a new squad for the ALGS Championship in Japan and the 2025 ALGS season.
A hint at some of those internal issues preceded SSG’s statement as IGL Phony posted, and then deleted, a tweet saying he was LFT for the ALGS Championship. After SSG’s official statement, Phony made a longer post saying the decision to split with the team was not his own. Phony also referenced the team’s “troubles,” which he said they pushed through for the sake of the ALGS LAN.
It’s unclear if Xynew and Koyful plan to stick together, or if they’re both seeking different options separately as well. If they do try to stay as a duo, the most obvious replacement for Phony is most likely Legends Gaming’s StrafingFlame, who Koyful played with at the Split One Playoffs earlier this year. They’d likely need the backing of an org to make the pairing stick, however, as StrafingFlame is Indonesian and would need a visa to live in North America if he planned to play with that team in 2025.
Regardless, the trio now look like they’ll be the most attractive free agents to ever hit the market outside of ImperialHal after leaving TSM and Sweet after parting ways with NRG. And with a large gap between now and the Championship, there’s ample time for all of them to find a team.
