Three-time Call of Duty world champion and the most successful CoD pro of all time, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, has signed with FaZe Clan to represent them as a sim racer in the upcoming ESL R1 racing league.
Crimsix, who is often referred to as the near-unanimous GOAT of CoD esports, put his playing days behind him in 2022, ending his tenure with New York Subliners and not finding a new team for the 2023 season.
Since then, he’s been working on growing his stream, regularly playing Warzone with some top names in the scene, and while he isn’t playing, has popped up in streams with other pros to discuss the state of the game and the league itself.
His next step, though, takes him away from Call of Duty and the FPS genre entirely, as he is due to touch down in Katowice to take part in the inaugural ESL R1 tournament, representing FaZe Clan in one of the most surprising moves of his lengthy esports career.
He's already completed a triumphant career. This is just the victory lap. 🏁 pic.twitter.com/oK6RVFv0FB
— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) February 7, 2023
The ESL R1 series, played on Rennsport, a racing game currently in Closed Beta, has been dubbed “the future of virtual racing,” and Crimsix has his sights set on hitting the ground running by competing.
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ESL R1 takes place from February 11-12, and 12 teams will be competing at IEM Katowice for a prize pool of $500,000, including esports teams like G2 and Furia alongside FaZe Clan, as well as motorsport behemoths such as Mercedes-AMG, Porsche Coanda, and BMW M.
FaZe Clan recently announced a partnership with Porsche, as well as hinting that they would be using Porsche vehicles in ESL R1, a natural fit for Crimsix, who drives a Porsche GT3 RS in real life.
In an exclusive quote to Dexerto, Crimsix simply said: “This is the real reason why I quit.”
Whether this really is the real reason why he quit is unclear, given the time difference between the culmination of his Call of Duty career and the launch of ESL R1, but we’ll see by February 12 whether Crim really has what it takes in the sim racing world.