WhileOverwatchhas dominated the eSports scene since its debut in 2015, it may have finally met its match. Riot Games' new titleValorantbuilt up a dedicated community during its exclusive closed beta phase, and drew in many FPS fans looking for a fresh take on the genre. However,after its extremely popular first week on Twitch,Valorantseems to be attracting many professional gamers to its growing competitive scene.
Houston Outlaws player Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty is the most recentOverwatchplayer to announce that he will transition to playingValorantprofessionally. After a four year run where he played for several notable teams andrepresented the U.S. in theOverwatchWorld Cup,Flaherty announced his official retirement from the professionalOverwatchscene.
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In a statement on Twitter, Flaherty recounted the highlights of his eventful career, from his initial time with FaZe Clan to his three years with the Houston Outlaws and his eventual victory as anOverwatchWorld Champion. After thanking Blizzard, his community, family, friends and fans, Flaherty promised “more exciting news about [his] future” to come. However, for now, Rawkus intends to begin streamingValorantregularly on his Twitch channel. Speaking about his enthusiasm for the game, Flaherty said the gamereminded him of his childhood playingCS:GO.Specifically, he saidValorantcombined the classic shooter’s strong aiming system with ability usage.
When examining his statement, Flaherty’s retirement and move toValorantappears to come from both a sense of satisfaction with his time playingOverwatch. After all, Rawkus noted how happy he was thatOverwatch’spopularity allowed its competitive leagues to have localized teams. Moreover, Rawkus' retirement comes while the industry is in the midst of its own transitional phase. Currently,OverwatchLeague teams are beginning to change up their rosters.
As Rawkus embarks on the next stages of his career, many fans and fellow players came out to wish the eSports player well. Many called Flaherty a legend and wished him luck with his new streaming career.Flaherty is also joining up at an excellent time for the shooter,as Riot Games recently announced arevamp toValorant’s ranked play system.
