On August 25, Zest, a player for BLEED Esports, announced on his account on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that he is looking for a new team (LFT, Looking for Team).

Joining IAM and a short stint with BLEED Esports

Zest, a 23-year-old esports player, began his career with Vision Strikers, which later became DRX. Despite being temporarily benched after the arrival of new players, he remained a key initiator, playing as Sova and supporting the team for several years. In 2023, Zest found himself increasingly benched after the arrival of Foxy9. He eventually became a free agent and left DRX in January to join the streamer team IAM.

READ MORE: yay Issues with Bleed Esports at VCT PACIFIC 2024

BLEED Esports struggles and upcoming team reorganization

However, Zest time with IAM was also short-lived—his departure from IAM was announced on March 2. Meanwhile, Bleed Esports, having joined the PACIFIC league, struggled throughout the season, securing only one victory out of 11 matches. The team repeatedly changed its roster, including the addition of Zest and Retla, as well as moving yay to the bench.

After a disappointing season, BLEED Esports announced that Zest and several other players would be moved to restricted free-agent status. A major team reorganization is expected next year, as the new tournament system includes automatic relegation to the Challengers league for teams that do not make it into the top 8.