YYF announces retirement on weibo, BurNIng still uncertain

After Team DK’s Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng’s retirement, looks like the Chinese Dota 2 competitive scene will be losing another veteran. Invictus Gaming’s (iG) Jiang “YYF” Cen has followed suit and announced his retirement via weibo. Here’s a screenshot of the post:

Here’s an English translation:

From joining LGD in 2010 to my current place in iG, these 4+ years as a professional player have allowed me to experience the many vicissitudes of life. I have felt the sadness of losing matches, I have also experienced the ecstasy of achieving my dream at TI2. These 4 years were not perfect, but I have no regrets. Thanks to my teammates for accompanying me on this journey, and thanks to my fans for their support. Retirement is a type of conclusion, but it is also the start of something new. My next target is to continue my fight within the eSports scene, and hope everyone continues to support me.

Another veteran that has shared his sentiments on weibo is Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei although his post is more uncertain. Here’s the weibo screenshot:

Here’s an English translation:

Thanks to BBC, thanks to my teammates who fought side by side with me, thanks to my family who persuaded me to retire, thanks to my friends who supported me through successes and failures alike, and thanks to everything my five years as a professional Dota player has brought me. No matter how Dota changes, it will never change my love for it. If I battle again, it will be because I could not let go; if I go back, I will never leave again.

Based on YYF’s post, although he will be retiring as a Dota 2 player, he will still be active in the scene perhaps as a caster or a coach. This is the common transition most pro-gamers undertake upon retirement from competitive play, as in the case of Yi Tian “820” Zou, Yao “Zhou” Chen, Troels “SyndereN” Nielsen, and Jacob “Maelk” Toft-Andersen.

So far, YYF is the second player in China to officially announce retirement, which means DK and iG are definitely going to need new players. Whether or not they will acquire experienced players from other teams or new players in the scene is still uncertain. We’ll keep you posted with the wave of changes in the wake of The International 2014 (TI4) so make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

Learn more about LaNm’s retirement: