Gaimin Gladiators midlaner Quinn “Quinn” Callahan announced his retirement from Dota 2 after nine years of competing professionally.

Quinn, 26, said in a YouTube video that the immense time commitment it takes to compete among the elite players in the world had become more than he’s willing to continue with.

“I had already proved I could be the best and proved that we could be the best,” Quinn said, per Esports Insider. “So the fire to endure the misery and endure the countless hours and missing birthdays, and weddings and spending time with family and friends, and opting out of all of that in favor of practicing and playing pubs and traveling and playing endless tournaments, that stopped feeling worth it to me.”

Quinn began his professional career with OpTic Gaming in 2017 and also spent time with paiN X, Flying Penguins, Forward Gaming, Newbee, Quincy Crew, Chaos EC and Soniqs before joining Gaimin Gladiators in December 2022. He helped Gaimin Gladiators win all three Majors during the 2023 season, with the team also placing second at The International.

Quinnsaid thoughts of retiring began in 2024 and that he had made the decision weeks before this year’s The International.

Gaimin Gladiators withdrew from the TI just two weeks before the start of the event, reportedly due to an internal conflict between the roster and the organization.

Quinn said that while his competitive playing days are over, he is looking “forward to doing something that isn’t so time-consuming and allows me to still be a part of Dota because I still want to be a part of the game.”

–Field Level Media