Former pro Overwatch player Jake “Jake” Lyon is returning to the Houston Outlaws after a year of casting for the Overwatch League, the Outlaws have announced.
To much fanfare, Jake has announced his return to his old team after a year spent casting alongside Andrew “ZP” Rush. Jake was a beloved player in the early days of the OWL and was well known for both his Junkrat plays and lively personality.
Once an Outlaw, always an Outlaw, right? #OutlawsNation help us welcome back @jakeow. 2021 is going to be insane. pic.twitter.com/UgdGtwWwCn
— Houston Outlaws (@Outlaws) January 21, 2021
“I had no idea what the future held,” Jake said in a twitlonger about announcing his retirement almost a year ago. “This wasn’t really part of any master plan, but when the opportunity presented itself I knew very quickly that it was one that I didn’t want to let pass me by.”
The Outlaws had posted a silhouette photo just an hour or so prior to the release of the revelation that it was Jake in the photo. Twitter exploded with Overwatch fans excited about the signing. Many are surprised by the move, but fans are happy all the same that the flex DPS is returning to the active playing ranks.
Jake moves from casting back to playing in OWL
Back to Outlaws
Read: https://t.co/yZ9waefWrS
— Jake Lyon (@jakeow) January 21, 2021
Jake is one of the few players in the OWL who neve rswitched teams prior to his retirement. He announced in 2019 that he wanted to shift to casting, and has since worked on his self-care and life outside of his work. Now that he feels he has sufficiently improved himself, Jake seems to think that he’s in a good place to return to the league.
The Outlaws haven’t done well in previous seasons. In the history of the OWL, they have never been a top-tier team, although there were some solid additions made to the roster this offseason that could see the Outlaws become a force to be reckoned with. Jake has also said that while he will be an active roster player, he will also be coaching and helping the team in other ways.
The Outlaws had already made some big offseason moves prior to Jake’s return. Dante “Danteh” Cruz is returning and Kyle “KSF” Frandanisa is joining up from the Los Angeles Valiant, while Lee “Happy” Jung-woo comes over from the Guangzhou Charge.
