Just a week after Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles and Chris Puckett announced their departure from Overwatch League, Erik "DoA" Lonnquist announced his own. Like Monte, he cited differences in Blizzard's creative direction as part of the reason he makes his leave, though he does also state he has high hopes that OWL succeeds in their current ventures. 

Also similarly to his seven year casting mate, MonteCristo, DoA plans on going "full freelance," like an "esports mercenary," this upcoming year. He plans to get a foot in as many games as possible in order to impact as much as he can. He specifically sites League of Legends and Hearthstone as two he wants to return to, and TFT as a new title he wants to explore.

With DoA becoming the third talent to leave the broadcasting crew in just a week, the Overwatch League is hurting for casters, but DoA does hints at "new blood coming in" in his TwitLonger announcement, meaning OWL has already been working to replace those who left. He also claims he may stay involved in some aspects, like attending Homestands, and that he is not entirely turned off from working with the Overwatch League in the future. It's possible OWL is one place where he could even freelance this year. That's a good sign for Blizzard, especially as they attempt to put out the fires and continue making  their way through esports.

The most worrying thing about his departure, however, is his citation of Blizzard's "resistance to input from veteran esports personnel." Blizzard has refused to follow advice from longtime esports veterans, and that's partly why they're in this mess. They're dreaming big and paving a new path for esports to follow in the future if it all works out. They just need to make sure they don't fail before they can do so. 

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