Nicholas “NicoThePico” Korsgård is stepping down as head coach of Fnatic’s League of Legends squad, with the team’s manager Finlay “Quaye” Stewart to step in as interim coach, the organization announced today.
NicoThePico was appointed head coach at the end of the Summer Split in 2016, after working as head coach for Origen. He worked with Fnatic’s management to make a new team for the 2017 season after the departure of several high-profile names, which included Bora “Yellowstar” Kim, who moved on to become head of Paris Saint-Germain’s new esports division.
NicoThePico stepping down was made in the team’s best interest, Fnatic said in the official announcement. NicoThePico, however, states in the announcement that “challenges on the inside” lead to him stepping down, “As a result, problems occurred that I could not foresee beforehand and fix in due time.”
Fnatic are currently third in group A of the EU LCS, with four wins and six losses they face possible relegation in the final week of the split. The team needs to win their next two match-ups, or hope Giants Gaming lose one of their two remaining games, to cement their spot in the EU LCS Summer Split.
“It saddens me to end the journey here, even if it was a rough one, I loved every minute of every day,” NicoThePico said.