This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

　　With an expected shuffle within the Chinese scene on the way the TongFu player Chen 'Zhou' Yao has announced his retirement from competitive Dota 2. The retirement comes after a successful Dota 2 career in which he has attended all three International events which includes winning the International 2012 with Invictus Gaming as well as winning a number of other high profile events such as the G-League and World Cyber Games.

Zhou's Statement

　　This is my own decision, thank you to those friends who have supported me, I hope you all will not be sad. In the future I will continue being active in the scene, as a commentator or coach. I remember my earliest days playing professionally, at that time I did not understand what esports really was, and never hadn’t realized that money could be made in this way, that it could be a line of work. It was purely because of my own passions and interest that I played this game.

　　That earliest generation of players probably all had similar attitudes, back then we were all still young, we danced with our youthfulness to the melodies of our own esports journeys. We fought for our own dreams!

　　I…….. couldn’t stop myself at all, no matter if it was my parents or teachers words, nothing could make me turn back, keep me from continuing on step by step towards my own dreams.

　　All these years, against the pressures of family, criticism online, I achieved one after another world title, my dreams and my glories hit their peak! Here I want to thank each and every one of my teammates, it was you guys that allowed me to achieve these heights, thank you to my managers and fans for their support and belief in me, things that allowed me to have the motivation to go on.

　　The statement was published on the Chinese social media site Weibo and has yet to spark an official comment from the TongFu organisation.

　　Special thanks to Josh Lee for the translation: http://dotaland.net/2014/02/10/zhou-retires/