Boaster’s Farewell Message Suggests Crashies May Be Leaving FNATIC

The message looks back on two years together, mentions an empty office seat, and puts memories ahead of the trophy they wanted.

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Crashies may be leaving FNATIC after FNATIC in-game leader Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett shared a farewell-style message that looks back on his time with Austin ‘crashies’ Roberts. A Reddit post in r/ValorantCompetitive preserves the message and its accompanying photo.

Instagram post showing three people sitting together on a couch

Boaster described what appeared to be the pair’s final movie night and said he would miss having crashies around. He also mentioned the empty seat beside him at the office and wrote that spending two years together meant more than the trophy they never won as teammates.

The message does not name Crashies directly, but its farewell tone has led to the expectation that the FNATIC player is preparing to move on. Boaster also includes a brief note for Alfa, tying the post to the team’s current group rather than presenting it as a general goodbye.

The timing also follows French flex player Sylvain ‘Veqaj’ Pattyn’s announced return to professional competition after a four-month absence. Veqaj’s return raised the question of which player from FNATIC’s five-man VCT EMEA Stage 2 lineup would make room for him on the active roster.

FNATIC’s potential lineup after Veqaj’s return

If Crashies’ departure becomes official and Veqaj returns to the active roster, FNATIC’s five-player lineup would be:

Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett
Emir ‘Alfajer’ Ali Beder
Kajetan ‘kaajak’ Haremski
Kirill ‘Cloud’ Nekhozhin
Sylvain ‘Veqaj’ Pattyn

Boaster and crashies’ FNATIC partnership

Boaster and crashies became one of FNATIC’s most recognizable pairings during the American player’s time with the organization. Fans even gave the duo the nickname “brashies” to reflect their chemistry both inside and outside the server.

The partnership came close to several major wins in 2025, when FNATIC finished as runner-up at VALORANT Masters Toronto, EWC 2025, and VALORANT Champions Paris. The two players did win VCT EMEA Stage 1 together, while crashies also brought previous international success to the lineup through his Masters Reykjavik 2022 victory with OpTic Gaming.

For now, the post is not a formal roster announcement. Crashies’ next team and the timing of any departure remain unconfirmed, leaving FNATIC fans to wait for an official update before treating the move as final.

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