The Australian will find a job outside of esports.
Head coach Jordan "Gunba" Graham is retiring from Overwatch 2 esports, he announced on Wednesday, April 24.
The Australian is most known for winning OWL coach of the year in 2023 while he was a part of Florida Mayhem's roster. "Competing no longer makes sense given lack of financial incentives, absurd hours, and the even worse than expected 2024 ecosystem," Gunba said about his decision to quit Overwatch 2 esports. "I will continue with the guys over the next few days as they qualify for Dallas."
While Gunba didn't mention specifically what he'll do next in life, he mentioned a transition to the "corporate world," which will allow him to work from 9 to 5.
Gunba's career in Overwatch esports
Gunba started competing in Overwatch esports in 2016 initially as a player before making the transition to assistant coach in 2018 under the Los Angeles Valiant banner.
He was also an assistant coach for Boston Uprising in the years that followed, until becoming Florida Mayhem's head coach in October 2021. Gunba helped the squad to win the OWL grand finals in 2023 and got the coach of the year award.
Overwatch 2 community reacts to Gunba's retirement
Although Gunba's decision to retire from Overwatch 2 esports came as a surprise to many in the community as he had just joined ENCE on March 21, other Overwatch 2 personalities such as M80's head coach Blake "Gator" Scott and Florida Mayhem's former general manager Albert "yeHHH" Yeh echoed his sentiments.
Unless Blizzard can make the Overwatch 2 ecosystem more sustainable, more players and coaches will likely quit the scene in the coming months.
That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more Overwatch 2 news and updates!