Both players were part of Gen.G’s 2019 Global Championship-winning team, while Pio has been called the game’s greatest player ever.
It's a sad day for PUBG Esports, as two of the game's stars, Cha "Pio" Seung-hoon and Go "Esther" Jeong-won, have retired.
Some of the greatest players to ever touch the game, their losses will be felt massively. It's the start of a new era for PUBG and for Gen.G's team, who now have to rebuild one of the world's greatest rosters out of the ashes.
Pio and Esther's legacies
While both were greats, Pio was more notable. He is widely considered by many to be the greatest player to ever touch the game. Emerging in mid-2019 with Gen.G, he led the team as they went on an absolute tear, winning almost everything in the scene en route to a 2019 PUBG Global Championship victory. While 2020 was decidedly rougher, Pio and Gen.G found some of their form back in 2021, clearly establishing themselves as the best team in Korea and putting together a respectable showing at PGC 2021.
Though Esther was with Gen.G longer, his trajectory went on a similar path when Pio joined. While he was more of a supportive player, while Pio was the aggressive fragging star, he still contributed massively to Gen.G's success.
As a part of their announcement, Gen.G announced that the jersey numbers for both players would be retired. Pio has announced that his intention is to take a short break before he goes for military service. On his stream, he actually revealed that PUBG themselves asked him to reconsider retirement, showing just how much of an icon he was to the game.
A rebuild for PUBG's most storied organization
For Gen.G's PUBG team, they now have to rebuild for the 2022 season. They've held on to the other two members of their 2021 roster. Na "Inonix" Hee-joo, a star in his own right, looks to be the new face of the roster. Jo "Asura" Sang-won will be a playing coach. Fortunately for Gen.G, many top Korean rosters have dissolved or lost some of their best players, so their options are wide open. High-fragging free agent options for the team include Roh "EEND" Tae-young and Lee "Shadow" Seung-sun.
Update: According to an report by Christian Wisniewski from The Game Haus, Ghibli players Lee "Spear" Dong-su and Seo "Renba" Jae-young will be joining Gen.G. The final player on the roster would be former ATA player Han "maczora" Dae-kyu.
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