With the search for a new player since last August 9, 2017, speculations were rampant on who was leaving the Mineski-Overwatch team. A week later, the news broke- Justin “Caladbolg” Limbo, the team captain, announced his retirement from Overwatch professional gaming. Here is his official announcement on his Facebook page:
While this may come as a surprise to many, Caladbolg has been shifting away from Overwatch for quite a while. He has been playing, producing and streaming PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) content before the announcement. He also allowed his seasonal rank in Overwatch to decay to the lowest decay threshold of 3000 SR, showing inactivity from Competitive Play. He deranked from the top tiers of Master/Grandmaster all the way down to Diamond.
After his announcement, I was able to contact Caladbolg and ask him a few questions about his entry and exit from Overwatch, his stay with Mineski, his plans for the future, and his opinion of the future of Overwatch in the country:
When did you make the shift into Overwatch and why this game?
As far as I can remember, I was on the verge of reaching Masters in League Of Legends (I’m a D1 Scrub only) when my friend SuperLocs invited me to play Overwatch. It was the 3rd day of the Open Beta Test release and that experience was why I rushed to buy the game. I chose the game because it is a product by a massive company, Blizzard.
How did it feel it when your ANBU Gaming was picked up and sponsored by Mineski?
It felt surreal because it was always our dream to be professional gamers and we didn’t even imagine to be acquired by a recognized company such as Mineski.
After a whole year of being under Mineski, what made you retire from the Mineski-Overwatch team?
I think everyone knows that aside from being a professional gamer, I’m also a Registered Nurse. Now, I’m planning to pursue the latter and we’ll see where will I end up in this path.
What compelled you to walk-away from Overwatch; was it burnout/fatigue from the game, a lack of success in the scene or in results, or something else?
Not burnout because I still have the passion, as gaming is my #1 passion. I always make that clear to myself. I can’t say that we lacked success, since we just recently won the largest OW tournament here in the Philippines. We might not be that successful when playing internationally, but we always make sure that we never go down without a fight. It’s just that there are certain things in life that will make you decide which path to choose, but I know for myself that whatever career I choose, it will always be for my family.
Was your run with Mineski-Overwatch a positive or a negative experience?
It was a positive experience 100%! Every bit of being a pro-gamer is a lot of fun especially if its your passion. There might be ups and downs with the wins and losses, but my team is like my 2nd home. Whatever happens I will always find happiness in it.
What was the most memorable moment of your stay in Mineski-Overwatch?
My stay in Mineski Bootcamp! Where all our needs are provided and It’s like our 2nd family. We treat each other as brothers, not only for my team but for the other Mineski teams as well.
Are you completely retiring from the Overwatch scene? From esports?
I think for the Overwatch scene, yes. From esports though… I’m not really sure, as we don’t know what’ll happen in the future. I’m not closing my doors completely.
Do you think that Overwatch still has a future in the Philippines?
Yes, definitely yes! It might not be this year or next year but I’m pretty sure that Overwatch will have its reign in the Philippines. It’s a new game, and all popular games nowadays like LoL or Dota2 somewhat started like this. There might be negative news that some teams are dropping its rosters but we’ll never know, Overwatch League is on the way and everyone has high hopes for it!
The Philippine Overwatch scene will miss Caladbolg for his skill and explosiveness. His play on his signature heroes of Reaper, Roadhog, and Genji provided many amazing moments for us to enjoy and be awed by. With a mastery of a flexible hero pool and his leadership, he was a great asset to the Mineski-Overwatch team. With his new pursuit of nursing, he would be the one doing the healing instead of needing it, and we wish him the best in his future.