Sources: Gentle Mates near deal for Atow, Vatira and zen amid buyout talks

The trio of players Tristan "Atow." Soyez, Alexis "zen" Bernier, and Axel "Vatira" Touret have attracted a lot of attention in Rocket League after it was reported the players wanted to join an organization together. Team Vitality, Karmine Corp, and Gentle Mates emerged as the main contenders for the trio, with the players finally making a decision a few days ago. However, reaching an agreement with their chosen destination has proven more complicated. Sources who have discussed this with Sheep Esports, shared more details about the situation.

Indeed, after a prolonged period of negotiations, Gentle Mates have reached a verbal agreement on salary and conditions with the three players ahead of the RLCS Club Championship, sources told Sheep Esports. Having pulled ahead of the other organizations during negotiations. However, at this stage, no contracts have been signed with the organization. Multiple barriers to the agreement currently exist despite the players sharing their desired destination to Team Vitality and Karmine Corp.

According to sources, Team Vitality and Karmine Corp are demanding substantial buyouts from Gentle Mates to release zen, Atow, and Vatira from their remaining contracts. All three contracts are expected to end in January, which is only three months away but crucially occurs after the London Kick-Off Weekend this December. That event is set to be the opening LAN tournament of the Club Championship, where fans will catch their first glimpse of the trio across a five-day tournament, if an agreement is made.

As the only organization in the negotiations that had no previous ties to any of the three players, they now have to reach an agreement to buy out the remaining months on each contract with the very organizations they have been competing against this offseason.

Both Karmine Corp and Team Vitality are traditional rivals in the French scene, with a lot of history across multiple esport titles. As part of negotiations with the trio, the two organizations came to a gentleman’s agreement to lower the buyouts of the players in case either side of the aisle won. Gentle Mates were not party to this deal. Sources familiar with the situation suggest that to field the team in London on December 9, Gentle Mates now face substantial fees from the other two organizations.

While Karmine Corp has two of the three players under contract and maintains a strong, long-standing relationship with both Atow and Vatira, sources indicate that ongoing delays in salary payments have also been a factor in the players’ decision to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

More broadly, negotiations have been complicated by the strong ties all three players have to their respective organizations. Vatira and zen are widely regarded as the franchise stars of Karmine Corp and Team Vitality, respectively, having played a significant role in shaping the history of both organizations while contributing value well beyond their performances on the field. The offers made by each of the three teams were all competitive.

For the majority of this period, all three French organizations were the only clubs in contention but another party did get involved. Esports World Cup winners, AG.AL, who previously showed interest in the Jayden "2Piece" Horton, Dylan "Wahvey" Thanus, and Cohen "Tawk" Hawco roster before they signed with Virtus.pro ahead of the RLCS 2026 Boston Major, enquired about the trio. However, negotiations with the Chinese organization did not go far.

While the players have made their decision, the situation remains at a standstill, with Gentle Mates yet to reach an agreement on the buyouts with Team Vitality and Karmine Corp. At this stage, it remains unclear how the situation will unfold, and the ongoing negotiations mean that the final destination of any of the players involved could still change since no contracts have been signed.

While things are slow in Europe, multiple teams in North America are already in the process of finalizing their rosters, including Shopify Rebellion, Gen.G Mobil1 Racing, and Spacestation Gaming. Many players from both regions have also entered free agency. João "diaz" Henrique is currently pursuing his options in South America and Europe, having departed Spacestation Gaming. While Team Vitality professional Gaspar "stizzy" Andres and his head coach Benjamin "Eversax" Wagner are also entering free agency despite still being in talks with the organization. They are prime examples of people waiting on the outcome of this bidding war. Even Enzo "Seikoo" Grondein’s contract ended today even with Man City Esports receiving an invite to the RLCS Club Championship partner program.

The current Gentle Mates lineup, featuring Nassim "nass" Bali, Archie "Archie" Pickthall, and Oskar "Oski" Gozdowski, who signed for the organization in October 2025, has won the Boston Major during RLCS 2026. This week, they were nominated by the Esports Awards for Team of the Year, alongside Rocket League World Champions, Team Falcons. Like many in the European scene, the trio have been waiting on the conclusion of the bidding war between the three French organizations. With organizations now being invited to the partnership program and an expected deadline for roster registration in mid-October, things are starting to fall into place.