The latest season of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 esports recently came to an end, with the New York Subliners being crowned world champions. Now, the off-season is well underway and the 12 Call of Duty League teams are wasting no time building fresh rosters ahead of Modern Warfare 3’s heavily-rumoured launch.
2023 has already seen several professional players hang up the controller, most notably former OpTic Gaming superstar Seth ‘Scump’ Abner who bought his retirement forward after initially planning to retire at the end of the year.
As the rumour mill surrounding new squads continues to churn, another former world champion has decided to take a step back from the big stage.
Octane retires from professional Call of Duty
Los Angeles Thieves player and 2022 CDL world champion Sam ‘Octane’ Larew confirmed the news of his retirement on June 27, via an emotional farewell video.
In the video, he said: “I’m done as a professional Call of Duty player. I feel like I’ve checked every box and have had a pretty successful career.” Since bursting onto the competitive Call of Duty scene in 2015, Octane has amassed ten tournament victories, winning over $800,000 in prize money.
- Check out: Best Modern Warfare 2 ranked play loadouts
Following his retirement, Octane will remain with the 100 Thieves organisation as a content creator, which is great news for fans of the human turret.
So, Modern Warfare 2's lifespan has now seen three players step back from the highest level of competition. In addition to Scump and Octane, ex-Boston Breach player Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni retired in front of a capacity crowd at the Boston Major.
With several months before any information on the 2024 competitive Call of Duty season emerges, there’s always a chance of more players switching to content creation instead of competing. Could we see Octane showcasing his skills in another shooter, like XDefiant? Only time will tell.
For more Modern Warfare 2, check out our guides showcasing the best assault rifle and intel on when the next double XP event takes place
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