The match between Gentle Mates and Apeks, which took place on January 16, 2025, during the first round of VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff, became one of the most popular games in the franchised VCT league within the EMEA region, even as the tournament had just begun.

On January 16, the first-round match of VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff featured Gentle Mates competing against Apeks in a best-of-three series. The winner (Gentle Mates) advanced to the next stage, while the loser (Apeks) moved to the lower bracket. This match attracted 334,000 concurrent viewers, making it the most popular match of VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff so far and one of the most-watched in the EMEA region's VCT league history.

The main reason for such high interest in this match was the debut of florescent, the first Game Changers participant to reach the tier-1 scene. She joined Apeks before the season began, and her participation drew viewers not only from the European region but also from others, particularly North America, as she is from Canada. Despite Apeks losing the match, florescent delivered an impressive individual performance on Jett.

VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff is taking place from January 15 to February 9 in a LAN format at the Riot Games arena. Twelve partner teams from the VCT program are competing for two invitations to Masters Bangkok and crucial EMEA points needed for World Championship qualification.