Overwatch pro BigG00se retires as Gladiators release multiple players
Overwatch League/Tyler DemogenesFinnish OWL support Benjamin ‘BigG00se’ Isohanni has retired from professional Overwatch after three seasons in the league as a member of the LA Gladiators.
On October 6, the Gladiators announced they were parting ways with BigG00se, his fellow support Jonas ‘Shaz’ Suovaara, DPS Jason ‘Jaru’ White and off-tank Hyung-seok ‘Bischu’ Kim.
This now leaves six players on the Los Angeles roster with more sweeping changes possibly coming around the corner, as the minimum roster size allowed is seven.
Following the announcement from the team, BigG00se tweeted that he had an amazing time on the org, but would not be looking for another in the off-season. “I will be retiring from Overwatch as a player and take some time off to think what’s next in the radar,” he said.
Been an amazing journey these last 3 years and got to meet awesome people throughout my time with Glads.
As for the future I will be retiring from Overwatch as a player and take some time off to think what's next in the radar https://t.co/38Cuztshez
— BigG00se (@BigGoose) October 6, 2020
It’s unclear what exactly will be coming next for the support specialist – but Shaz may not be hanging up his mouse and keyboard for long.
“Going to take some time to think about what I will do next,” Shaz wrote after thanking the team for the three years he spent there.
Meanwhile, Bichu has stated that he will be looking for coaching or management opportunities. Jaru, on the other hand, has updated his Twitter to read “Hitscan player for ????” suggesting there may be news for him this off-season.
It's been a good run! There's definitely been ups and downs but I'm GLAD :^) it didn't stop me from growing so much as a person during my time in Glads! That said, I'm LFT as a coach or management, 8 years of player experience in OW, LoL, fluent in English and Korean https://t.co/4xDtwuMKWw
— Bischu (@Bischu) October 6, 2020
As a team, the Gladiators have struggled to rise above the middle of the pack in the league, often falling short early on in playoff rounds. Still, the duo of BigG00se and Shaz were fan-favorites and will be a big loss for the organization and pro Overwatch.
The Overwatch League Grand Finals kick off on Thursday, October 8, when the reigning champions San Francisco Shock take on the Seoul Dynasty and the Philadelphia Fusion meet the APAC”s top team in the Shanghai Dragons.
Following those matches, the winners and losers will play each other in double-elimination games on Friday to determine the two teams that will meet in the Finals on Saturday to crown the 2020 Overwatch League champion.