Topson steps away from pro Dota 2, may be retiring

Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen is going to be gone from professional Dota 2 for a very long time, and possibly forever.

OG Esports announced that Topson is looking to spend a lengthy block of time away from the game in order to spend time with his wife and young child. This comes as little surprise as Topson was openly discussing taking a break from the game ahead of The International 2021, with OG stating that those feelings of ennui didn’t dissolve over the course of the event.

“After TI10, Topson sat down with the team and explained that his motivation for competing had dwindled. He needed a season off to spend time with his wife and kid, and enjoy playing Dota for fun while streaming from home again. That his love for the game was the fuel behind how he played and was able to bring the best out of himself. And that right now, he needed time away with his loved ones to find peace and light the fire again,” OG said in a statement on its official website.

Topson previously teased that TI10 might be his last pro Dota 2 event. While retirements in esports always ought to be taken with a grain of salt, there’s no question that Topson has the means to retire at this point.

What happened to Topson?

Topson is taking a break from competition in order to focus on his family. This may see him out of action until after 2023.

Topson and his wife announced the birth of their first child in September 2020, but the star mid laner never really took any time away from the game. He competed regularly in the final quarter of 2020 and was active with OG throughout the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit season.

Even before they had their child, Topson discussed how he preferred the new predominantly online Dota 2 format as it didn’t require as much travel. Odds are that having a baby at home only reinforced this, and spending less time at the computer and at LAN events likely holds more appeal than ever.

Who is on the OG roster?

At this time, the only official member of the OG Dota 2 roster is Johan “N0tail” Sundstein. 

OG’s roster at The International 2021 has effectively dissolved at this point. Alongside Topson’s hiatus, Martin “Saksa” Sazdov and Syed “SumaiL” Hassan were both released with the latter joining Team Secret, while Sebastian “Ceb” Debs committed to re-retiring. That means that OG is left with only N0tail.

The good news for fans of the team is that OG is in the rebuilding process. The team has made vague teases that suggest the team has already signed new players, which likely means that the team won’t miss any action. The 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit season kicks off in just a few weeks, which likely means that the new lineup will be revealed in the very near future.