Just yesterday we reported that Peter “ppd” Dager decided to step down from competitive Dota 2. Fellow TI-winner and teammate Saahil “Universe” Arora has also decided to retire.
Whether it’s due to the coronavirus pandemic or simply the flow of time, two of the most famous Dota 2 players have already decided to put an end to their careers within a few days. First, it was Peter “ppd” Dager who combined his announcement with the departure from Ninjas in Pyjamas. Now, only a few days later it’s Saahil “Universe” Arora. Interestingly enough both players have won The International in 2015 with Evil Geniuses.
Most recently the two also played together for NiP but the team couldn’t find the success it desired. As a result, Universe was released in early April, while ppd made his exit at the start of the week. Many expected Arora to find a new team in the meantime, something he usually has no problem doing, but things turned out to be quite different.
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The news came from the player’s Twitter or rather Twitlonger.
RetirementRead: https://t.co/arwWHlRZqc
— Saahil Arora (@UniverseDota) April 23, 2020
Saahil’s explanation is rather short and straight to the point:
I have decided to retire as a player from competitive dota 2. Whenever I do anything in life I tend to be an all or nothing type of person and dota was no different. For the past 10 years I have given everything I have to this game/competition and it was an incredible experience. Now the time has come to pursue other interests and figure out what comes next. Thank you to my fans and past teammates for the amazing memories I will never forget.
Universe was one of the oldest Dota 2 players still competing at the age of 30. He was living proof that that the game was more than welcome for even players outside of the usual esports age. Arora began his career in 2011 and has changed many teams over the years. His most defining moment was no doubt the video above at The International 2015. Together with Evil Geniuses he achieved what many other players only dream of by claiming the champion’s title. After that faithful victory, the player switched several other teams and briefly joined Team Secret, Fnatic, Quincy Crew, Forward Gaming until he finally joined Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Known as one of the most skilled offlaners, Universe would’ve been a top pick for almost any team looking to fill that position. We’ve seen players come back from retirement before, so there’s still a chance that Arora might eventually make a return. Stay tuned for more Dota 2 news.
