Silkthread leaves Chengdu, announces retirement

gabhernandez Published 01/12/2018

American DPS Ted “silkthread” Wang has announced his retirement from competitive Overwatch.

Silkthread last played for Los Angeles Gladiators. He said had been signed with the Chengdu Hunters for season two, but after discussion with management the organization allowed him to terminate his contract and leave the Overwatch League.

His given reason for the decision is burnout and a general lack of satisfaction in professional Overwatch competition. He also cited a cultural difference between western teams and Chinese teams. Silkthread stated that he had difficulty adjusting to the work hours, reduced privacy, general living conditions, off-days, and overall work ethic in the Chinese organizations.

It was also difficult for Silkthread to adjust to speaking in all Chinese, and while he picked it up fairly quickly, it added another hurdle for him to contend with.

After just a short amount of time spent with his new team, Silkthread felt that his withdrawal wouldn’t affect the team’s developing synergy. While he credits much of his personal growth and independence to the Overwatch League, he has no plans to further his career in esports, and will instead go back to college.

Silkthread has applied to three universities and will look to major in business. He offered that it’s possible he could return to esports in a management capacity rather than a competitor, and that he remains motivated to help esports become as recognized as traditional sports.  

Currently in China, Silkthread plans on making the most out of his new vacation, which includes visiting some tourist spots and his parents’ home town. He will then return home to the United States and concentrate solely on streaming until the next semester of school.

Read Also

Twitch

Jynxzi’s Rainbow Six Siege Tournament: Format, Date and Roster Khizar Mundia Nicholas “Jynxzi” Stewart’s Rainbow Six Siege tournament is about to start, and this time Ubisoft is also supporting the event. With the roster now confirmed, Twitch drops will also be available to viewers throughout the stream. Jynxzi is best known for his Rainbow Six Siege content, even though he regularly plays several other games, including GTA 5. The streamer still revisits Rainbow Six Siege both on stream and through the tournaments ...

Dota 2

Teams travelling to TI15 had to contend with a Typhoon that flooded the streets of Shanghai Michael Hassall It’s not often that the elements themselves conspire against Dota 2 players, but as players started to head to China for TI15, some were left stranded by the arrival of Typhoon Dolphin to the eastern China coast. OG and other teams, potentially including PARIVISION (competing at TI as Team VISION), seemingly found themselves with extended layovers as Shanghai Airport cancelled flights in the wake of Typhoon Dolphin. While all the ...

GTA

Trade on Which Songs Will Make It Onto the GTA 6 Radio at Kalshi — Use Promo Code WINGGPREMAR Zachary Roberts Like all previous games in the series, GTA 6 will have an extensive in-house array of radio stations which will be a major part of gameplay. The radio adds a lifelike wrinkle to Grand Theft Auto games whenever you get in a vehicle, which, as the franchise name suggests, is pretty often. Some players enjoy just riding around the setting of the game listening to music. GTA 5 and Online ...

Dota 2

The International 2026 schedule: Dota 2 TI15 full schedule and day-by-day Michael Hassall The International 2026, TI15, is finally here, and with the event starting it’s time to watch the greatest Dota 2 teams from around the globe compete for the game’s ultimate prize: The Aegis of Champions. With TI15 taking place in Shanghai, China, and in a completely different timezone for many of its viewers, the schedule and timings can be a bit hard to follow. That’s why we’ve put together a ...

Twitch

Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed Minecraft Marathon: Rules and Highlights So Far Khizar Mundia Kai Cenat and Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr.’s much-awaited Minecraft marathon is now live, with the pair revealing the event's rules. While the two haven’t been faring well in their mission, fans are invested to see whether they can complete the marathon, which is being streamed on YouTube and Twitch. Here is a look at the rules for Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed’s 2026 Minecraft marathon, as well as some of the ...

News

YouTube Increases Viewership Requirement for Earning Ad Revenue Hannan Mundia Despite YouTube being a cornerstone for creators hoping to quickly start earning money from their content, the platform is increasing its viewership requirement following changes to the YouTube Partner Program. While content creators today can utilize the monetization programs offered by multiple platforms, that wasn’t always the case. Previously, YouTube was the only reliable platform that paid its creators fairly. Of course, this only applied to those who had met ...

Twitch

Asmongold Banned on Twitch and Reveals Health Scare Khizar Mundia Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt has been banned from Twitch on his Zackrawrr channel, and he uploaded a video in response, also revealing that he had been busy dealing with a worrying health scare. Asmongold is infamous for his controversial and blunt takes on serious matters, and the streamer’s political opinions have led to him butting heads with Twitch multiple times. The streamer has recently been banned from Twitch again, and viewers ...