Legendary captain, Peter “ppd” Dager, has officially announced his retirement from the competitive Dota 2.
The announcement is coming ppd had been in Dota 2 for over seven years with uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season.
Before stepping away from the game, ppd had been part of several teams’ roasters, leading them to the top of the Dota world. One of the highlights of his career was his legendary run when he led Evil Geniuses to win The International 2015.
According to the announcement he made on Monday, the 28-year-old Ninjas in Pyjamas has chosen to hang up his mouse and keyboard in pursue of other areas of personal growth.
He further explained that the decision is his change in mentality, which he described as a necessary change, which he is ready to embrace in the coming years.
Although he still had the chance to captain NiP to a respectable record against top European teams, ppd said he has no ambition in the game anymore because he has found himself focused on his goal.
Due to this fact, ppd felt he had lost the grit and enthusiasm needed to compete for himself and his team, and he is comfortable.
Speaking further on his decision, he said he didn’t feel bad about it because he believed change is healthy as he is eager to do amazing things in his 30s.
It could be noted that the announcement is strange to NiP and the Dota 2 competitive scene. Although NiP under the leadership of ppd has not been performing well despite going through several roster changes. After finishing 13th in the ESL One Los Angeles Online, they will now be looking to fill another gap left by the captain.
Despite out drafting some of the best teams at the ESL event, NiP failed to live up to expectations.
With this announcement after leading his team to a good fight, Dota 2 will surely miss ppd’s game mind, drafting ability, and technical skills. NiP will also find it hard to replace these characteristics as well.
According to him, what next on his plate could be operations on the business side of esports. He could also be streaming while trying to get his next path.
Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed
