With fewer than two months to go until the Overwatch League’s fifth season begins, teams are still making roster additions, especially to fill critical positions left empty by retirements and other extenuating circumstances.
The San Francisco Shock announced today that it will be adding tank Colin “Coluge” Arai to its roster ahead of the league’s May 5 opening weekend.
The rookie will have big shoes to fill, taking over tank duties from Matthew “super” DeLisi, San Francisco’s veteran main tank, who retired from competitive play on March 27.
Coluge has been a part of the North American Overwatch scene since 2017 and has played for Overwatch Contenders teams like Second Wind, American Tornado, DarkMode NA, and Bobby Wasabi. In January, he was picked up by Maryville Esports, which participates in Overwatch Collegiate tournaments.
He was also a part of the original GOATS roster in Contenders, alongside Atlanta Reign tank Blake “Gator” Scott, which popularized the team composition that dominated the Overwatch scene in 2018 and 2019.
Coluge has a controversial history in the Overwatch community, having been suspended from professional Overwatch play in 2018, though the ban was appealed. In the earlier years of his career, Coluge was put on blast for toxicity and sexist remarks.
Though a Reddit post claimed that the Overwatch League denied Coluge a contract with the Vancouver Titans in 2020, a spokesperson from the league told Dot Esports that “the Overwatch League has never denied a contract for Higan/Coluge.”
Coluge is currently the Shock’s only tank player and will be responsible for handling the sole tank slot in Overwatch 2’s five-vs-five competitive setup.
Update March 28 4:50pm CT: This article previously quoted a comment that claimed the Overwatch League denied Coluge a contract. It has been updated with official word from the league.
