win.gg
Win.gg News Seagull reveals why so Overwatch League players keep retiring

Seagull reveals why so Overwatch League players keep retiring

Olivia Richman
Olivia Richman Published 14/08/2019

Former Overwatch League player Brandon “Seagull” Larned blamed the game’s constant patches for the high rate of retirement in the league. 

In a recent stream, the former Dallas Fuel DPS compared Overwatch to other competitive esports after a follower asked why so many OWL players retire. He pointed out that Counter-Strike has many maps, but very few balance changes. Meanwhile League of Legends and Dota 2 have only one map, and many balance changes. Then there’s Overwatch, he said, which has a lot of maps along with a lot of balance changes. 

“It’s a lot harder in Overwatch, considering so much shit changes constantly on so many different maps. It makes Overwatch a big pain in the ass to figure out after balance changes,” Seagull said. “After every single balance change that occurs, it changes it on every single map. The entire map meta is changed.” 

Seagull added that the number of maps pro Overwtach players have to prepare for is “obscene.” He noted that it’s most likely the reason viewers will see teams “blindly mirror” their opponents and “not really think about strategies” as often as teams in other competitive games might. 

“One team runs Mei-Reaper, and they’re like, ‘Fuck it, we’re all playing Mei-Reaper this week,'” Seagull said.

Now a full-time streamer, Seagull announced his retirement in August 2017. At the time, his main reasons were health-related. Many other players have retired from the Overwatch League since, usually noting mental health and exhaustion as the main culprits. 

In the past, it’s been noted that the Overwatch League schedule was too intense for players to handle. The tournament schedule was completely restructured in Season 2 in hopes of lessening reports of exhaustion and anxiety. Some teams have also decided to hire personal trainers and mental health professionals for their rosters. 

Olivia Richman Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile
Read Also
New York Sues Polymarket Over Gambling Laws As Prediction Market Hits Back News
New York Sues Polymarket Over Gambling Laws As Prediction Market Hits Back Michael Hassall The New York Attorney General, the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the State of New York has filed legal proceedings against prediction market giant Polymarket alleging it is an unlicensed gambling company. First reported by Reuters earlier today (Monday, Sep. 28), Polymarket immediately launched a countersuit challenging the lawsuit’s claim that they constitute a gambling company, and kicking off a legal battle that could have huge implications for ...
iShowSpeed Answers Fan Questions: Opens Up About Mental Health and One Piece Twitch
iShowSpeed Answers Fan Questions: Opens Up About Mental Health and One Piece Khizar Mundia Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. recently did an extensive Q&A where he answered several fan questions, talking about things such as mental health and loneliness despite being massively popular, while he also debunked being a One Piece “larper”. iShowSpeed is arguably the biggest IRL streamer in the world right now, with 2026 being a major year for the creator. Whether it was livestreaming the 2026 FIFA World Cup or being listed ...
Unstoppable Yandex crush NAVI in one-sided PGL Wallachia finals Dota 2
Unstoppable Yandex crush NAVI in one-sided PGL Wallachia finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex has swept the grand finals of the PGL Wallachia Season 9 Dota 2 tournament, defeating Natus Vincere (NAVI) in a 3-0 drubbing this past weekend (Sep. 27). As predicted, the revitalized Yandex, hot off the signing of former Team Falcons star Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, crushed their youthful opponents in a three-game sweep in the best-of-five finals. Here’s how it happened: After upsetting the star-studded LGD Gaming roster (albeit ...
Kai Cenat Reportedly Becomes First Streamer To Broadcast From Inside a Volcano Twitch
Kai Cenat Reportedly Becomes First Streamer To Broadcast From Inside a Volcano Khizar Mundia Twitch star Kai Cenat caused a major stir online when he announced his Exploring the Unexplored IRL series — and he has now gone live from the first country, Iceland, streaming from inside a volcano. IRL streaming is one of the best ways to gain exposure and become a bigger creator. Two of the biggest current examples are Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. and Rangesh “N3on” Mutama. Speed has been a ...
Team Yandex to win it all? PGL Wallachia Season 9 Finals preview and predictions Dota 2
Team Yandex to win it all? PGL Wallachia Season 9 Finals preview and predictions Michael Hassall The first big event after TI15, PGL Wallachia Season 9, wraps up this Sunday, Sep. 27, and it’s set to be a hell of a show. After a solid week of action, with some surprise eliminations along the way, we’re down to just three teams from the original 16. Team Yandex, LGD Gaming, and Natus Vincere (NAVI) remain, having battled through some big upsets to get there. Yandex are hot ...
Complexity Gaming shuts down after 23 years – Here’s what we know Valorant
Complexity Gaming shuts down after 23 years – Here’s what we know Khizar Mundia Esports organization Complexity Gaming is ending its 23-year run, as its founder announces its shutdown. Complexity is an organization that has been around since the early days of esports. The organization had rosters in multiple games, including Counter-Strike and Valorant. Despite this, Complexity’s CS roster was the most famous, as it won several major events. This is why it was a surprise for fans to hear that Complexity is shutting ...
Who Is N3on? Here’s Everything About the Self-Proclaimed First AI Streamer Kick
Who Is N3on? Here’s Everything About the Self-Proclaimed First AI Streamer Khizar Mundia Rangesh “N3on” Mutama was initially known for being a controversial streamer, but he has since come a long way, even being considered by many as a contender for Streamer of the Year 2026. Here’s everything about N3on, ranging from who he is to how he became such a well-known face on social media. N3on achieved viral status multiple times with multiple over-the-top acts. He is also known to be a ...