Dota 2 Legend and Major champion, Quinn ‘Quinn‘ Callahan, has announced his retirement after nine years of competitive play.
The former Gaimin Gladiator player posted a video on YouTube sharing the announcement, saying that playing the game was ‘an honour and a privilege.’
During the video, Quinn explained the reasoning behind his departure from active play. After achieving his ‘goal’ of being the ‘best mid player in the world’ during the 2023 season, the emotional toll that came with ’12 hour days’ of practice stopped being ‘worth it.’
It wasn’t until the 2024 season that the Dota 2 competitor decided 2025 would be his last year.
“I had already proved I could be the best and proved that we could be the best,” Quinn added. “And so the fire to endure the misery and endure the countless hours and missing birthdays, and weddings and spending time with family and friends, and opting out of all of that in favour of practising and playing pubs and travelling and playing endless tournaments, that stopped feeling worth it to me.”
Quinn’s Highlights and Future Plans
Quinn has enjoyed an accomplished career in the Dota 2 esports scene, since his humble beginnings with FDL, to joining OpTic Gaming in 2017, and his more recent success alongside Gaimin Gladiators.
2023 was a standout year for the American player, winning the Lima Major, ESL One Berlin, and Bali Major that season. In 2025 alone, the player has also placed highly in multiple events, finishing runner-up at events such as PGL Wallachia Season 5, FISSURE Universe Episode 4, and BLAST Slam II.
Quinn also shared what he has planned next following his retirement, sharing that he still intends to be ‘part of Dota’, but will no longer compete in tournaments. The player shared that he will be pursuing talent work, making ‘pro-level guides’ for Dota 2, and plans to do streaming.
