Dallas Fuel flex player Brandon “Seagull” Larned announced his retirement from professional Overwatch Tuesday via Twitter, saying that he now be streaming full-time instead. Fuel later confirmed that he has stepped down from the team.
I am no longer a professional OW player.
Returning to full-time streaming starting today.
— Brandon Larned (@A_Seagull) August 7, 2018
Seagull joined Team Envy’s Overwatch League roster in September 2017 and has remained one of Overwatch’s most popular streamers and players since he transferred from Team Fortress 2. Despite their fair share of struggles during the OWL’s inaugural season, Dallas Fuel was able to bounce back in stage four and earn fourth place.
“The versatility, at a high level of skill, that Seagull brought to the Dallas Fuel this season is a model that all up-and-coming Overwatch players can learn from,” Dallas Fuel head coach Aaron Atkins said in a statement. “His aptitude for the game is one of the best ever seen in Overwatch and he was a key leader both in and out of game for Fuel.”
Seagull was streaming Overwatch on Twitch when the announcement went live Tuesday. He noted that his team had been aware of his decision for a while now.
Seagull also said he is unsure whether or not he will be able to play in the Overwatch League All-Star Game, saying he has another commitment (unrelated to Tuesday’s announcement) that will likely cause him to miss the game. Seagull was voted into the All-Star Game in late June.
The Overwatch League’s All-Star Weekend is scheduled for Aug. 25 and 26 in Burbank, California’s Blizzard Arena Los Angeles. Two teams, one for each the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions, will face off to determine who the league’s best of the best really are.
Players were voted into the All-Star Weekend events via fan submission, with substitutes chosen by Blizzard and Overwatch League staff. Each team has six starters and 12 reserves.
The Schedule
- August 25: Each division’s players will participate in a series of custom skill matches designed to test a player’s Overwatch prowess. Blizzard hasn’t explained exactly what this means, but we do know that it’ll start at 4 p.m. PT.
- August 26: The Atlantic and Pacific All-Stars will face off during the All-Star Game at 11 a.m. PT. Each team will have an All-Star coach to help manage strategy and roster swaps (according to Blizzard, all 18 players must have at least one map).
Atlantic Division Starters
- Bang “JJoNak” Seong-Hyun, New York Excelsior support
- Hong “Ark” Yeon-Jun, NYXL support
- Hong “Gesture” Jae-Hui, London Spitfire tank
- Kim “Pine” Do-Hyeon, NYXL flex
- Lee “Carpe” Jae-Hyeon, Philadelphia Fusion DPS
- Park “Saebyeolbe” Jong-Ryeol, NYXL DPS
Pacific Division Starters
- Baek “Fissure” Chan-Hyung, Los Angeles Gladiators tank
- Brandon “Seagull” Larned, Dallas Fuel flex
- Kim “Fleta” Byung-Sun, Seoul Dynasty DPS
- Kim “Geguri” Se-Yeon, Shanghai Dragons tank
- Ryu “Ryujehong” Je-Hong, Seoul Dynasty flex-support
- Scott “Custa” Kennedy, Los Angeles Valiant support
Where to Watch
If you’re in California, you can buy tickets to watch the event in person. For fans that can’t make it to Blizzard Arena, the All-Star Weekend will be streamed live on Twitch, Overwatch League’s website, and MLG.