Saturday, January 11, 2025, will be a date to remember for French and European Overwatch fans. French esports organization Team Peps, a brand created by former Overwatch coach and streamer Féfé, held a live, in-person fan event in Paris, where they presented new organizational staff, sponsors, and part of its roster (DPS Xzodyal and support FDGoD) for the upcoming Overwatch Champions Series Stage 1.
The French team had one last trick up its sleeve with its last announcement: legendary French Overwatch player Terence "SoOn" Tarlier was returning to professional Overwatch.
SoOn's career in Overwatch started with the game's launch in 2016, as he quickly joined some of the best EU teams of the time, first Misfits and then French squad Rogue. He would then pursue global competition in the Overwatch League by joining the Los Angeles Valiant with his teammate uNKOE in 2018. SoOn saw success with the Valiant, winning Stage 4 and finishing with the second-best record of the regular season. The following year he joined the Paris Eternal and their European project. He stayed with the Eternal for two seasons and secured his second OWL trophy when Paris won the 2020 Summer Showdown. Unfortunately, SoOn's career in Overwatch seemed to be over after the Boston Uprising, who initially signed him for the 2021 season, terminated the player's contract before the season even began, citing visa issues.
SoOn then transitioned to VALORANT, following a small wave of professional Overwatch players, and found a home on German team CGN Esport, alongside his brother Théo “Onibi” Tarlier. He then moved to French teams competing in VALORANT Challengers France: Revolution, playing for Joblife in 2023 and Mandatory in 2024. On Mandatory, he was reunited with former Paris Eternal teammates HyP and coach Féfé. Over three years of professional VALORANT, SoOn never qualified for an Ascension event (professional VALORANT's promotion tournament), and only finished in the top 3 of Challengers once, in 2024.
Before the announcement, SoOn had been streaming more and more Overwatch and participating in Peps-related activities, such as streaming alongside Peps Ambassador Poko. He was also spotted in Team Peps's trials, fueling speculation of his homecoming to Overwatch. Having a strong history with the French community, participating in 3 editions of the Overwatch World Cup (2017, 2018, and 2019), SoOn returning to Overwatch is both an act of faith and a statement from the French team.
SoOn's veteran status is proven by the remarkable twelve-year age gap between him and Peps's other hitscan DPS, Xzodyal. The announcement was met with thunderous applause from the French crowd.
Despite not being chosen for the OWCS Partner Program, Team Peps is still aiming to stay competitive and grow as an org in 2025: hosting live events, fielding a competitive roster, and new staff and sponsors. Among the Peps announcements was the addition of Partner Manager Wrath and Project Manager Suriplay. Peps is positioning itself to continue growing sustainably. Adding one of the legends of the esport to the mix might be the difference between a good and a great year.
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