Goodbye, for now.
Shocking news emerged from one of the big names in the competitive Dota scene in Southeast Asia. Fnatic announced that they will be disbanding their Dota division this February.
Fnatic has issued a public announcement via their social media page, stating that they have opted to withdraw from the Dota 2 competition for an indefinite period of time.
“Recently we have been forced to reflect on the sustainability and future of the title for Fnatic, and ultimately, to make a difficult decision to temporarily withdraw from the Dota 2 Pro Circuit.” they wrote in the statement.
In addition, Fnatic announced that the ongoing Beyond the Summit (BTS) 14 competition will be their final match before terminating its Dota division. However, they are committed to help their current players and employees to find a new home.
The past few months have been hard for Fnatic. After consistently finished in the top three of DPC SEA 2022 and participating in The International 11 last year, two of their key players —Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong and Marc “Raven” Fausto— left the team and joined their rivals, Talon Esports and Blacklist Rivalry respectively.
The pair’s departure proved disastrous as Fnatic then struggled to stay in Division 1 during DPC SEA Winter 2023 in January. Even worse, they fell to the second division for the first time in their competitive history. A humiliating loss for a team that has been touted as one of Southeast Asia’s finest in international competition.
There is currently no certainty regarding the future of the Fnatic players and their division 2 slot in DPC SEA. Nonetheless, we are sure that big teams will be circling around Fnatic’s superstar, Djardiel “DJ” Mampusti, to land his signature soon.
