LiNkzr retires from professional Overwatch play

Overwatch lost another veteran of its esports scene today. Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin is retiring from competing at all levels of the game.

The Finnish hitscan maestro did however mention that he would be interested in an analyst or coaching position if that was to present itself to him before the launch of Overwatch 2, which he says “doesn’t really interest him” in his Twitlonger post about his retirement.

LiNkzr says he will be moving on to pursuing a pro career in VALORANT, a game that has seen multiple former Overwatch players find success. Known to be a very flexible and intelligent player, especially in his early career on heroes like Mei and Genji, LiNkzr should have no trouble adapting his talent for head-clicking into another game.

LiNkzr wrote that he “really appreciated [his] time” as an Overwatch pro, thought it was a “shame” that he “didn’t really achieve [his] goals fully.” The emotional farewell post goes on to end with, “I’m really happy that I got to experience this game with y’all.”

Across his six-year career in the Overwatch scene, LiNkzr played for nine different teams and represented his nation in each of the three major World Cup tournaments. Perhaps his most notable stint on a team was with the all-Finnish Team Gigantti, a locally-sponsored team that featured other future OWL players like Fragi and Zuppeh, and won European Contenders 2017 as underdogs against Misfits.

LiNkzr’s most recent team, the Vancouver Titans, are undergoing a major roster overhaul this offseason. The team currently has no players under contract, with no hint as to how they will rebuild for the 2021 season.