Dota 2 star Quinn “Quinn” Callahan retires from competitive play after 3 Majors and 2 TI finals, leaving a legacy of passion, success and of course… timeless memes.
Quinn "Quinn" Callahan announces his retirement from competitive Dota 2 after nearly a decade at the top level, winning three Dota 2 Major titles and securing two TI silver medals.
Before reaching the top, Quinn spent years in the “NA trenches” with teams like Quincy Crew, earning respect for his resilience despite limited success. Known for his emotional authenticity and fiery personality, he embraced both supporters and critics, famously dubbing his journey a “Clown Fiesta.”
Career reflection
"I wanted to be the best player in the world or the best mid player in the world. And I wanted to prove that I could compete at the highest level and win tournaments and be great and win TI ideally," said Quinn in his retirement video.
"I was lucky enough to have gotten to achieve that in the 2023 season. I believe I was the best mid player in the world at a point and we won a lot of tournaments and we were the best team in the world for the majority of that year. I'll be forever grateful for that."
2023 was indeed a phenomenal year for Quinn, who enjoyed his best spell as a professional player as mid-laner of Gaimin Gladiators.
Quinn led his team to win three Dota 2 Majors across three different continents in the space of just four months; the Lima Major, Berlin Major and Bali Major. Not only that, Gaimin Gladiators went on to place 2nd at The International 2023 (TI12) in October 2023.
Their final event of the year was ESL One Kuala Lumpur where they once again placed 2nd. Quinn's Gaimin Gladiators were undoubtably the greatest Dota 2 team for almost the entirety of 2023. Yet, that dominance came at a cost, one that began to weigh heavily as the next season unfolded.
Team Placement | Event | Month |
|---|---|---|
| 1st place | Lima Major | March 2023 |
| 1st place | Berlin Major | May 2023 |
| 1st place | Bali Major | July 2023 |
| 2nd place | The International 2023 | October 2023 |
| 2nd place | ESL One Kuala Lumpur | December 2023 |
A turning point in 2024
But even at the height of his success, the grind was taking its toll. For Quinn, the stress of Dota 2 only felt worth it as long as he was chasing greatness.
"I had a goal, and there was there was the reason for the suffering for lack of a better word," said Quinn. "But after that year [2023] that's sort of changed because I achieved what I wanted to barring winning TI," said Quinn.
"I had already proved I could be the best and proved that we could be the best. And so the fire to endure the misery and endure the countless hours and missing birthdays and weddings and spending time with my family and friends and opting out of all that… stopped feeling worth it to me."
"Over the 2024 season, I wrestled with that and decided that 2025 would be my last year."
Shoutouts and gratitude
With his Dota 2 retirement confirmed, Quinn used the second half of his video to thank those who shaped his career.
"Firstly, I want to thank my parents for supporting me the entire way. I know that's not something that a lot of people get, especially in esports, and I try not to take that for granted.
My parents are awesome, and they have never stopped rooting for me and supporting me and pulling for me every step of the journey. So, I'm just incredibly grateful that they were behind me for all this."
Quinn then went on to shoutout his team-mates across the years who had mentored him and fought alongside him in the NA trenches; from the Quincy Crew gang (SVG, Jack, Yawar, MSS, Lelis) to Kitrak, Bulba and Blitz for their guidance in the early years.
He also gave a nod to Optic Gaming, a team which ended up being his big break in the Dota 2 scene back in 2017, led by TI5 winner Peter "ppd" Dager. The roster (Quinn, Pajkatt, PPD, Misery and Zai) had played under the name Team Dire post-TI7, but a flurry of good results saw them picked up by Optic Gaming for the 2017-2018 DPC Season.
"Thank you to Optic for giving me a chance and all the players who played on that team over that year. I look back on my year extremely fondly and I was really bad back then, but they stuck out with me anyway and they gave me a chance.
That was sort of my starting off point and I'll always be grateful for that experience and for the faith and the belief they put in me."
Quinn also delivered a touching message to his now former Gaimin Gladiators team-mates; Anton, Ace, Tofu, Celery, Cy, Watson and Maui.
"We won so much together and I was nothing before I joined this team and y'all were all incredible teammates. I'm so grateful to have gotten to play alongside you. I was never a perfect teammate or a perfect player, but we did this together.
I don't know how it ends yet 'cause like I said, I'm recording this before TI. If we won, then it's incredible, it's a perfect end to a tumultuous and beautiful few years.
And if we didn't win, that's okay too, because life goes on. I'm still beyond grateful for your belief and trust in me as a player, as a teammate, and as someone to go through blood, sweat, and tears and what it takes to win and be the best. I'm so thankful for all of you, and I will always appreciate this time.
Quinn's final shoutout was a salute to the fans who have loved and hated him and a mention of his iconic clown fiesta meme.
"Thank you to the fans as well who have rooted for me or against me… it's been an entertaining run and I hope you've enjoyed watching the Clown Fiesta as much as I've enjoyed being a part of it."
Though stepping away from competition, Quinn made it clear he isn’t leaving Dota behind.
What's next for Quinn
Quinn’s post-retirement plans are to primarily focus on work as a Dota 2 analyst. The 26-year old also hopes to return to streaming and to create "the complete guide to Dota".
"I'm going to be making a guide to Dota, a pro-level guide with information that I believe is either not readily available right now or is hyper specific," said Quinn.
"I intend on keeping no secrets and talking about everything in the most detailed way I can… starting into building blocks and moving upward to very specific concepts that dictate map movement and whatever else. I'm going to talk about everything basically. I intend it to be the complete guide to Dota."
Quinn retires with his head held high as one of the greatest Dota 2 players North American has ever produced. His illustrious career has also earned him over $2 million in prize money, and he retires as one of the top 100 highest earning esports players of all time.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege. Goodbye. Thank you for all the good years and the bad. And I’ll see you around," said Quinn.
