Peter "ppd" Dager, one of the legends of the Dota 2 scene, retired from professional competition in the game on Monday.
The 28-year-old from Fort Wayne, Ind., posted on Twitlonger, "Hey everyone I wanted to write a few things ... about my decision to step away from competitive Dota 2.
"I've spent just about the entirety of my twenties competing in video game competitions and at this point in my life (almost 29) I'm looking for something else that I do not think I can find in my current position.
"Today I find myself focused on personal growth rather than competition versus others and because of that I feel like I have lost the grit and ambition necessary for myself to be the competitor I'm comfortable being. I don't feel bad about it as I believe change is healthy and I am eager to do something amazing and new in my 30s."
Until Monday, ppd had served as captain for Ninjas in Pyjamas since September 2018. That followed stints with OpTic Gaming and Evil Geniuses, among other teams.
The pinnacle of his career was captaining Evil Geniuses to the championship of The International 2015. He also served as Evil Geniuses' CEO from December 2016 to August 2017.
His Ninjas in Pyjamas team posted mediocre results this year, tying for seventh (last place) in the WePlay! Bukovel Minor in January, tying for seventh (last place) in the WePlay! Tug of War: Mad Moon in February, and tying for 13th (out of 16 teams) in the ESL One Los Angeles Online-Europe/CIS event this month.
Ppd wrote, "I will be forever grateful for the people who believed in my abilities and saw the potential that I always believed I had no matter how objectively poor things may have looked in any particular moment.
"I want to thank all of the fans and players of Dota 2 whether you liked me or not for the amazing world you created and allowed me to exist in."