Nikobaby to retire from Dota 2 following Alliance roster drop

William Davis Published 11/10/2022

Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov has announced his intent to retire from Dota 2 following the Alliance disbandment, and that doesn’t bode well for his former teammates.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Alliance dropped its entire roster, which itself followed a catastrophic Dota Pro Circuit season. While no longer intending to play professionally, Nikobaby could still make Dota 2 content independently or with another sponsor. As for his former Alliance teammates, this retirement may be a very bad omen.

Nikobaby announced the news himself during an October 10, 2022 stream. While streaming his gameplay, he claimed that he is 100% sure that he will return to professional play. However, he did not rule out continuing to stream or create content surrounding the game. Assuming he follows through on these plans, Nikobaby has effectively chosen to retire from Dota 2 esports.

Before Alliance’ disbandment, Nikobaby was the longest-standing member of the roster. The Bulgarian carry first joined in October 2019. While he enjoyed some top placings in 2020, a bad finish at The International 10 preceded a year of disappointments. After losing to stream team Team Bald Reborn at the TI11 regional qualifier, Alliance’ players likely saw the writing on the wall.

Will other Alliance players retire after Nikobaby?

Nikobaby’s choice to retire from Dota 2 esports calls into question where his former Alliance teammates will end up.

In the wake of the announcement, multiple former Alliance players have either gone radio silent or announced a break. Captain Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin and offlaner Yaroslav “Limitless” Parshin appear to have not made any statements after the kick. Soft support Adam “Aramis” Moroz has stated his intent to take a break from Dota 2 before returning in the future.

However, that hasn’t stopped one former Alliance member from seeking new competitive opportunities. Fan-favorite mid Aliwi “w33” Omar immediately announced that he was looking for a team the same day as the disbandment announcement. He’s one of the most iconic mid laners in Dota 2 and is particularly famous for his Meepo mastery.

While Alliance’s poor recent performance doesn’t do him any favorites, any team that takes w33 will get a lot of fans to go with him.

Read Also

Esports Betting

HEROIC exits EWC Club Partner Program after Dota 2 departure, leaves CS2 as sole title Wasif Ahmed HEROIC has left the Esports Foundation’s Club Partner Program for the Esports World Cup 2026 after the organization announced earlier this month that it was exiting Dota 2 due to the game being ‘unsustainable in the long term’. This left CS2 as its sole operational title. Both HEROIC and the Esports Foundation (EF) announced the exit in separate statements. The EF said that the recent internal changes meant the organization ...

Esports Betting

Heroic Exits Dota 2, and It’s Bad News for the Scene Owen Harsono Norwegian esports organization Heroic has officially called it quits in Dota 2, dropping its roster after two years in the scene. Despite finding relative success, the organization cited financial constraints as the primarily reason for their departure. If a budget-savvy team like Heroic couldn’t make it work, the Dota 2 scene is in big trouble. On May 4, Heroic suddenly announced they’d be pulling the plug on their Dota 2 ...

League of Legends

Playing League of Legends can improve brain function, study finds Khizar Mundia If you have ever found yourself having to defend the countless you spend gaming online then you may now have a ready-made excuse — researchers have just revealed that video games can improve brain function. A team from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China conducted a study comparing League of Legends with Legends of the Three Kingdoms. The study found both improved brain function, with League of ...

Dota 2

Is Dota 2 dying in 2026? Here’s what the numbers really say Ben Boland The question “Is Dota 2 dead?” has been asked by many people over the last couple of years. Since the game’s player base fluctuates and other MOBAs rise in popularity, it’s understandable that some people feel like Dota 2 is dying and its best days are behind it. However, is this really the case? Let’s find out. Once you start looking for some of the best Dota 2 teams or ...

Dota 2

Every Dota 2 International Champion in History: The Complete Winners List Ben Boland If you know a thing or two about esports, “The International” should ring a bell. TI is Dota 2’s yearly tournament and is one of the most prestigious tournament series in all of esports. It’s best known for its million-dollar prize pools, and every edition tells a different story. Below, we list all the winners of Dota 2’s The International. Every year, Valve hosts an iteration of The International, with ...

Kick

ESL FACEIT Group announces Kick partnership, here’s what we know Khizar Mundia ESL FACEIT Group and Kick have signed a partnership that will allow the platform to distribute and broadcast select official CS2 and Dota 2 tournaments. Esports broadcasting rights are an important element for major streaming platforms, as popular tournaments draw millions of viewers. The esports broadcasting network is substantially fragmented as no one platform holds exclusive rights for major tournaments. Kick has been trying to get into the esports scene ...

Dota 2

Best Dota 2 Players in 2026 Owen Harsono In 2026, pro Dota 2 players are on another level, with a bunch of them even passing 17,000 MMR. However, not all of them can prove themselves on the big stage. Below we have ranked the top 10 best Dota 2 players in 2026 who have championship qualities. We have ranked the top 10 Dota 2 players in the world right now. We primarily considered individual skill and overall contribution ...