- The Thai player will be leaving the Los Angeles Gladiators
- This is the second player the Gladiators lose in the past two weeks
- Rumors say Patiphan will be joining a VALORANT team soon
At the age of just 19, the Los Angeles Gladiator’s Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong announced he is once again retiring from professional Overwatch.
Patiphan Is Leaving Overwatch Again
Professional esports players’ careers usually last a few years before the competitors decide to retire in order to go do other things. Rarely, however, the promise of fame and fortune and the pull of the thrill of competition makes some come back on the big stage for another gig. At just 19 years of age, Overwatch pro Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong has not only gone through all of that but even announced his second retirement.
“An energetic teammate and dynamic player, we can’t thank him enough for not only his contribution to our team, but the joy he inspired within the entire Overwatch community,” read the post of the Los Angeles Gladiators, the team Patiphan most recently played for.
With the Thai player leaving, the Gladiators lose yet another member in less than three weeks, the first one being Lee “ANS” Seon-chang, who parted ways with the team about ten days ago. Patiphan has not yet talked about the reason why he left the Gladiators, but some fans speculate it’s so that he could join a partnered VALORANT team. “This decision took so long, but I think it’s the right decision,” Patiphan said in his native Thai.
Patiphan Was One of the Best SEA Overwatch Players
Whether or not Patiphan is going to play a different esports in a different team is still unknown, but in the meantime, fans can look at his accolade-filled past. Before his first retirement from Overwatch, Patiphan was considered to be one of the best players in Southeast Asia at the age of just 15. But he was not able to play in the Overwatch League because of the rules stating he must be 18 to do so.
Partly due to this reason, in 2020, the player stepped away from Overwatch in order to pursue a career in VALORANT. He joined X10 Crit and helped the team place in the top eight of VALORANT Champions 2021.
However, shortly after Patiphan turned 18, he came back to Overwatch, signing with the Gladiators. He helped the team secure first-place finishes at both the Kickoff Clash and Midseason Madness, and his clutch plays earned him the respect of his teammates and the adoration of the crowds.
“The biggest moments that I’ve had in Overwatch [have] always been with Pati,” head coach Sam “face” Merewether said in the announcement video. “The thing that I will miss is just someone that I can rely on under real high-stakes moments.”
Despite Overwatch 2 releasing soon, Patiphan will be stepping away from the game and returning to his homeland of Thailand for now. He thanked his parents and other relatives for the support they have given him over the past year.
It is unclear what his next steps will be but if the rumors are to be believed, we might see Patiphan enter the professional VALORANT scene soon.
