The San Francisco Shock crushed the Vancouver Titans 4-0 to win the 2019 Overwatch League Championship, largely on the strength of OWL MVP Jay "Sinatra" Wong, who ESPN reported that he is retiring from Overwatch competition to play Valorant.
Wong's move to Valorant has not yet been officially announced, but Shock confirmed his departure on Twitter:
The Overwatch League also acknowledged his retirement in a statement. The Overwatch League is first and foremost a community. We are grateful for the great play and character that Sinatra brought to our community."
Wong mentioned his retirement in a message posted on Twitlonger, stating that he "lost my passion" for Overwatch after last year's Grand Final.
"I don't know what was the real killer for me, maybe it was the 2-2-2 lock, maybe it was the ban ...... It was just hard for me to log in to play and I wasn't having any fun anymore with the scrims and rankings.
"I want to thank NRG/Shock and OWL for giving me a chance and making my dream come true:
According to reports, NRG Esports, the parent company of Shock, has formed its own Valorant team, but in the Overwatch League, retiring players are not allowed to sign with an organization that is the parent or sister of an OWL team, Wong is ineligible to play for that team. The Sentinels previously operated the Los Angeles Gladiators team, but withdrew from the organization in September 2019 following the settlement of a lawsuit with the Gladiators' owner, Cronki Sports and Entertainment.
More interesting than the contractual complications, however, is the potential impact of Wong's move on the Overwatch pro scene. Prior to joining the Overwatch League, Wong was a player on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, according to ESPN, so his move to Valorant, which has many similarities to CS:GO, was a natural fit. However, Wong was one of the league's most high-profile players, especially for his dominating play in the Grand Final less than a year ago, and while Valorant is still in closed beta, Overwatch remains a very popular game and esport, but it still hurts to lose such a big name. Losing such a big name is still a blow.
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