After nearly two years with the Toronto Defiant, the Overwatch League team’s general manager Jaesun “Jae” Won is retiring from his position and will leave the esports scene.
Jae’s decision to step away from the team he helped build comes after a year of contemplation and deciding that he wants to try and pursue other ventures.
Jae has been with the organization since it joined the Overwatch League in 2018 as an expansion team, and helped create its entire competitive roster. And even before the OWL, Jae managed teams since the Overwatch beta, which led to more than half a decade of experience in the esport.
But now, Jae has decided that it’s time to move on and try new things.
“I gradually lost passion in esports and my role in it,” Jae said. “It was starting to affect both my mental and physical health. However I leave with no regrets. It’s been six good years in esports. I’ve managed teams, seeing them to three different world championships pre-OWL, and did my best to steer the Defiant through two Seasons.”
Along with thanking fellow GMs, the players, and the fans who made his experience special, Jae reminisced about his first steps into OW esports.
“I remember the day that Bradford asked me to manage his OW team,” Jae said. “To me I thought it would just be a side gig as I transitioned out of the Army. There was no way I could have known, while being farmed by Brandon in Closed Beta, that OW would lead me to a career for over half a decade.”
Jae steps away after the Defiant finished tied for ninth place in the OWL 2020 May Melee tournament. But after signing veteran tank player Numlocked, the team is looking to make more changes heading into the next round of competition.
