Clinton Loomis, mostly known as “Fear” in eSport scene, has been noticeably missing from Business Associates current lineup. Fans have turned to twitter for answers, flooding the professional’s gamer account with questions. It is only until a few days ago that Fear decided to address the rumors in a tweet from his official Twitter account.
“I’m getting messages asking why I’m not playing today. I decided to take a break from competitive for a little since DPC isn’t starting until Jan-Feb of 2021. The team wanted to keep playing regardless (3/5 of the roster) so they made a new team. Best of luck to the guys!” — @FearDotA – September 7th.
The overhauled roster consists of three older players from BA plus two new additions. Viewers of the match were quick to notice the evident absence of both—captain Fear and David “Moo” Hull’s, prompting questions and speculations.
Further clarification was offered by Fear, when he stated that a new team might be forming, amidst some teammates’ desire to continue playing despite the DPC delay. This has caused mixed reactions among fans, as some are hardcore believers of the original set up.
Despite everything being speculated, Fear’s decision of taking a break from the eSports scene hardly seems like rash or impulsive decision. A quick search through his twitter feed, and it is easy to understand Fear’s recent decision. Examples here, here and here expose Fear’s stance about what he considers a “deteriorating” condition in the North American eSports region. He has even expressed hopelessness in the current future of Dota 2, specially in a domestic location.
Regarding the reason why Moo is absent from the current lineup, not much clarification has been offered. However, with Dota Pro Circuit and other events on hold for the time being, it seems more likely than not that more and more professional players will be taking these short breaks or hiatuses. Another notorious absence from the Dota 2 eSport scene is Fnatic’s Daryn “iceiceice” Koh Pei Xiang. Whether these absences will continue rising is unknown to us, but we can only hope not!