He Never Did Get Suspended

It wouldn’t be Dafran if he didn’t constantly make Overwatch headlines.  Whether for his interviews, having the best selling jersey, or his hero selection in game, Dafran always has a way to make the news and today he gave us his best one yet.  Daniel “Dafran” Francesca has, no joke, retired from the Overwatch League.  

In a tweet just hours ago the Atlanta Reign announced Dafran’s retirement.  The announcement explained that the retirement had been in the works since before the Stage One playoffs saying he “truly wanted to give it his all during playoffs and didn’t desire to draw attention to himself while we were still playing.”  In the same post the Reign also announced that Dafran would be joining the Atlanta Reign steaming team. 

Atlanta Reign Announce the Retirement of Daniel “Dafran” Francesca from the @overwatchleague. pic.twitter.com/FEkR8cNyvw

— Atlanta Reign (@ATLReign) March 28, 2019

Dafran made his own statement on his personal twitter via TwitLonger as well today.  He opened with the sentence, “I am leaving the OWL and going back to comfy streamer life.”  The candid statement thanked the OWL, his team, and the owners of the Atlanta Reign.  He went on to assure people that the Reign will continue to find success, citing the high quality of his teammates and the hard work being done by the coaching staff.  He also outlined plans for his return to streaming.  

Dafran is not the first Overwatch League pro to retire from professional play to focus on his streaming.  At the end of last season Brandon “Seagull” Larned of the Dallas Fuel announced his retirement from the Overwatch League.  Like Dafran, Seagull cited focusing on his stream as a reason for his retirement.   

Dafran led the Atlanta Reign to a 4-3 record in Stage One of the 2019 Overwatch League season.  The stage culminated for the Reign in a playoff appearance where they were defeated by the Philadelphia Fusion 3-1.  He retires as one of the most watched and well-known players in the Overwatch League.