Dallas Fuel’s Seagull Has Retired from Professional Overwatch
Brandon ‘Seagull’ Larned has announced that he will no longer be competing professionally, instead returning to full-time streaming.
Seagull competed for Dallas Fuel for Season One of the Overwatch League, originally as a DPS player before role-swapping to flex tank when the team’s needs changed later in the season. Seagull’s ability to switch between the two positions played a significant role in their Stage 4 success.
Having risen to prominence during the Overwatch beta, Seagull remains perhaps the most popular Overwatch streamer in the world. Stepping down as a competitor will allow Seagull to focus on his sizeable following on a full-time basis.
In a stream following the announcement, Seagull revealed that though he had loved competing it had taken a toll on him. He explained that he had gained weight and developed sleep apnoea as a result of the stress involved in competing at the highest level.
Dallas Fuel, along with the other Season One Overwatch League teams, is currently in the process of building a squad for Season Two. They will have until September 8 to extend contracts with their existing players, or make trades with other teams.
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Dallas Fuel had a disappointing season, finishing in tenth place despite coming in with high expectations. The team began to turn things around in the final stage of the season, reaching the Stage 4 playoffs, but it still seems likely that Seagull won’t be the only Fuel player who won’t be competing for Dallas in Season Two.
Aaron ‘Aero’ Atkins, Dallas Fuel head coach, said:
“The versatility, at a high level of skill, that Seagull brought to the Dallas Fuel this season is a model that all up-and-coming Overwatch players can learn from. His aptitude for the game is one of the best ever seen in Overwatch and he was a key leader both in and out of game for the Fuel. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Dallas Fuel CEO Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail also commented:
“We have nothing but love for Brandon. Seagull joined us at a time when Team Envy had the most dominant roster in North America in Overwatch and helped contribute throughout the ups and the downs of our first Overwatch League season as the Dallas Fuel. We support Brandon in his decision and he leaves us on good terms. We’ll always be pleased that he chose to make his final act in professional Overwatch with the Dallas Fuel.”
The Dallas Fuel also produced a farewell video to mark Seagull’s departure.