Esports legend Perkz retires after nearly ten years slaying in League of Legends

Perkz, renowned for his versatility and dominance on the professional LoL scene, won eight LEC titles with G2 Esports - a record for European players. He also secured the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational, the first for a European team.

The Croatian reached the 2019 World Championship final and earned a third-place finish in 2020. He also claimed an LCS title with Cloud9 in 2021, becoming one of the few players to win both LEC and LCS. With over $585,000 in prize money from 33 tournaments, Perkz retires as one of the top esports earners in Europe.

"In six months, it's gonna mark 10 years of me competing, and it's also mark a new special chapter for me, as I'm gonna become a father," he revealed in a six-minute video on social media.  

"I'm very excited for that new chapter of my life, and obviously, this is exactly what you guys thought it was gonna be.

"I'm retiring from playing competitively. I'm retiring at 26 years old. It sounds crazy, but it's esports. I think the reasons are very straightforward. There is just no time allocation, and all the bad things that come with stress from competing, that I don't want to manage it anymore.

"I've always given it all to my playing career, to the teams I've been a part of. I think many can attest to that. Sometimes my all wasn't enough, and sometimes my all wasn't in the right direction, but I gave it my all. This has been a wonderful, wonderful journey. I'm also very happy to put it behind me.

"I do intend to come back in some way or form, helping the young kids on the block that are eager, that are willing to put the time, the dedication to be the best. Until then, I'm out."