Lunatic-Hai Overwatch player removed after controversy

One of Lunatic-Hai’s new Overwatch players has stepped down just days after he and another player were announced as new members of the team.

Lee “claris” Keon-Ho, a former flex player for Rhinos Gaming, will no longer step into Lunatic-Hai’s alternate position, according to South Korean news site Inven. Claris has reportedly posted a public letter addressing the reasons why he won’t be joining the team.

Apparently, claris had been accused of unsavory behavior in the past, including boosting, using cheating software, and poor sportsmanship. Though he denied those allegations, he felt incredible pressure just in being accused. Therefore, he’ll take a break from professional Overwatch, claris said, in a statement that was confirmed by Lunatic-Hai, according to Inven.

Here’s where things get confusing. In Lunatic-Hai’s announcement of its new new players, the team admitted that the second player to join Lunatic-Hai, DPS Byeon “Munchkin” Sang-Beom, had a controversial past. Lunatic-Hai addressed the allegations of poor sportsmanship on Munchkin’s alternate Overwatch account, stating they are, in fact, true, but emphasizing that Munchkin has since reformed his behavior. An apology letter straight from Munchkin was posted alongside the announcement. In the letter, Munchkin expressed regret over his past behavior.

Claris wasn’t mentioned anywhere in all this, which made it all the more surprising that he would step down. Reportedly, Korean fans of Lunatic-Hai did not take well to Munchkin’s confession, which likely led to more rumors—even if it wasn’t regarding Munchkin himself.

In February, two Lunatic-Hai players retired from professional Overwatch after being accused of inappropriate fan interactions. As Korea’s most high profile Overwatch team, Lunatic-Hai is under constant scrutiny from fans.

Lunatic-Hai will reportedly address claris’ resignation in the “near future.”