Former Lunatic-Hai members EscA and LEETAEJUN have announced their retirement from the Overwatch scene. The two players will transition to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) to play under KSV, the company which owns Seoul Dynasty.
We know everyone has been waiting for more news on Esca, and we want to thank everyone for their patience. We can confirm that he will not..
— Seoul Dynasty (@SeoulDynasty) November 1, 2017
be a part of the Seoul Dynasty roster. However, he is and will still be a very important part of the KSV organization.
— Seoul Dynasty (@SeoulDynasty) November 1, 2017
The duo were founding members of the Lunatic-Hai roster in 2016, making a case as the top Korean team multiple times. Their joint accomplishments in 2016 included 2nd place finishes at APAC Premier 2016 and IEM Gyeonggi.
The two took different paths in 2017; EscA stuck with Lunatic-Hai for the year and helped them become the best team in the world, achieving two championships in OGN APEX Season 2 & APEX Season 3. LEETAEJUN, on the other hand, retired in the winter of 2016 due to allegations regarding inappropriate conduct with fans. He committed to a streaming career in the wake of the controversy, and after reports that some of the claims were fabricated, he rejoined Lunatic-Hai for APEX Season 4. The team however failed to win the season after their elimination in the quarterfinals.
EscA was initially signed for Seoul Dynasty along with the rest of the Lunatic-Hai roster by KSV Esports, with LEETAEJUN not included in the lineup. Last month, however, speculation arose of EscA’s removal from the team due to his absence from Seoul Dynasty’s roster video, with the franchise eventually confirming his move. The two will now be part of KSV Esports' PUBG team.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is highly popular in Korea, overtaking Overwatch recently to become the second most played video game in PC Bangs. The news also comes after OGN revealed the PUBG Survival Series 2017, showing serious competitive support for the game. EscA and LEETAEJUN are not the first Overwatch professionals to make the lateral career move; both EVERMORE and Luna, formerly of Kongdoo Panthera and Luxury Watch Blue respectively, have transitioned to PUBG.