Mehmet "cNed" İpek, one of the first world champions in Valorant, has announced that he is taking a pause in his career to focus on other aspects of his life. The break is temporary, but he will not participate in the early stages of this year's Valorant Champions Tour.

The 22-year-old Mehmet "cNed" İpek, winner of Champions in 2021, announced his break from professional play on January 5 through his social media. He stated that he wants to focus on other things. Due to this decision, FUT Esports, the team he is part of, will begin the VCT EMEA 2025 season without him. While the pause is temporary and does not signal the end of his career, cNed has not yet provided even an approximate return date.

FUT Esports Roster for VCT 2025:

• Doğukan "qRaxs" Balaban
• Furkan "MrFaliN" Yeğen
• Ata "ATAKAPTAN" Tan
• Eray "yetujey" Budak
• Doğan "xeus" Gözgen

The player did not reveal specific reasons for his decision, but most likely it is due to burnout from the discipline. He took a break to avoid professional exhaustion. However, Mehmet has no plans to leave the game entirely: he will regularly stream Valorant on his channels and create other content for his fans.

The loss of a player like cNed could significantly impact FUT Esports' performance. While the talented Turkish player xeus will take his place, he does not yet have substantial experience on the tier-1 scene. The team might lose firepower and face challenges in securing slots at international tournaments.