The Sato plan brings babybay’s Valorant Champions Tour China options into focus.

From retirement to Champions Paris: how babybay reached this moment

American VALORANT competitor Andrej "babybay" Francisty returned to competition in August 2025 after retiring at the end of 2023. He joined G2 Esports for Stage 2 of that year in place of Nathan "leaf" Orf, helping the team win the stage title and qualify for Champions Paris, although leaf returned before the tournament.

That return became the starting point for babybay's next chapter. After Jonah "JonahP" Pulice left for Sentinels at the end of 2025, babybay stayed with G2 for the 2026 season, keeping his place in one of the region's most closely followed rosters.

G2's 2026 run gives the 2027 replacement plan context

G2's reported plan to replace babybay for 2027 was made before VALORANT Champions Shanghai, according to Sheep Esports. The organisation is set to bring in Eduardo "Sato" Nagahama, who played for Leviatán in the latest VCT Americas season.

The replacement plan arrives after a strong international stretch for G2. The team won VCT Americas Stage 1 and qualified for Masters Santiago. At Champions Shanghai, G2 advanced from its group and won playoff matches against 100 Thieves and T1, finishing among the top four after its campaign ended in the semifinals.

Sheep Esports described babybay as G2's second-highest-rated player at Champions Shanghai, which gives more weight to the reported change: G2 is not moving on from a player who struggled at the sport's biggest event, but making a roster decision from a top-four position.

Latest progress: offers under review, no confirmed destination

Babybay is exploring offers from VCT China teams for 2027, but no Chinese organisation or agreement has been identified. Sources cited by Sheep Esports say he planned to remain in China after Champions Shanghai to assess the offers he had received, and that his experience in the country made continuing there a priority.

For now, the China move remains under consideration rather than a confirmed transfer. The reporting does not name a destination or set a timeline for a decision. G2, meanwhile, is reported to be preparing for 2027 with Sato as babybay's replacement.

The VCT China team landscape is still developing ahead of the next season, so babybay's options will become clearer only if an organisation and player reach an agreement. The key distinction at this stage is that the roster change is reported, while the next destination remains unsigned.