Former Team Spirit player retires

Steelborco, who once played for Team Spirit, has announced his retirement from Dota 2. The 23-year-old player announced this on his social networks.

Hello friends, colleagues, fans and the entire Dota 2 community.

My name is Ilyas Kauken. I'm better known in the Dota 2 scene as Steel-_-Borco. I am a professional Dota 2 player and I have a message that I want to convey to everyone who knows me.

For several years I have been thinking about leaving Dota 2 for good. I have spent a lot of great time playing with my teammates and watching their progress and TI qualifiers, I did my best in every match I competed in. I'm glad I got the chance to play for Team Spirit, the organization that went on to win TI. Last year was very stressful for me psychologically when I was banned from Valve tournaments. It was a difficult situation. Even in public, I met random people who put this label on me and called me names, and even after I was banned.

Also, I'm grateful to everyone I've met side-by-side in my Dota career. I sincerely wish all players the best of luck in their careers and may you guys be successful both in Dota 2 and beyond.

Over the past two months, I have lost interest in the game. I feel like we have so many responsibilities as we age that we need financial independence, but at TIER-2 in North America, at least there are no salaries, no organizations that force many Dota players to leave due to instability. Moreover, I have lost interest in the game because I feel that it is just a waste of my time, health and emotions. As for the competitive part, we mutually agreed that I would leave KBU because I lost that fire in my eyes because of Dota 2, and now I am looking forward to my future.

I'm not going to come back as a player anymore and that's a fact, but there is a possibility that I could return in other roles or become a team coach.

Steelborco entered the professional scene in 2017. During his career, the 23-year-old has played for teams such as Team Spirit, Vega NA Academy, Wind and Rain and KBU.US