When I told you I wanted to write more articles in 2020, I didn’t expect my next one to be about this topic.

After some thinking and discussions with my family, I have taken the difficult decision to retire from professional coaching in Overwatch, leaving my position as Head Coach for Toronto Defiant in Overwatch League.

For the past 2.5 years, I’ve dedicated my time, thoughts and energy to coach in Overwatch. I think the time has come to step down.

Last season with Paris Eternal was exhausting but it was also a great learning experience, and I was really motivated to come back for a new challenge.

Toronto Defiant’s desire to succeed was evident and the steps taken to achieve that success was pretty solid. Upper management and I shared the same philosophy and vision, I am happy that I had this experience in Toronto.

The decision to retire is mostly personal. It is difficult enough for each of us, under these recent circumstances to be isolated from one another, but for my wife and I to be so distant from our families is an added burden. It has been 1.5 years that my wife has dedicated her life to follow me in my projects around the world.

I think it is time for me to go back to France and support hers.

As I depart, I’d like to share my perspective and provide feedback for my colleagues at Overwatch in the spirit of making the game the best and most competitive it can be. The competitive scene has changed a lot this year. One of the major changes is the Weekly Hero Pool, and that has directly impacted the coach’s job, and our ability to influence and lead. This system doesn’t fit me and my style at all, and is partly why I have chosen to leave.

With a really small amount of time to practice between games and a lot of changes every week, it has been difficult to work on mastering some comps or having a real team identity within the game itself. Team Performance is now quickly shifting to relying on players’ ability to adapt by themselves and for them to find solutions on the go. In this framework, added to the fact that we have to work remotely, it is making coaching and strategy-making difficult for me.

All of this has contributed to me losing the passion I once felt for coaching in Overwatch and I don’t think that I can have the same impact if I stayed. I’d rather retire and make room for more motivated people.

Having said that, I’m so grateful for everything Overwatch has brought into my life. From now on, I’ll follow the competition from an outside perspective and I’ll keep cheering for my former teams. I’m leaving with no regrets. I’m happy I had the opportunity to be a part of this project and to work with such talented players and staff. I did my best to build a competitive team, and I fully trust the staff and the organization to make the right choices in order to chase the success Toronto wants and deserves.

I want to thank all the coaches and players that I worked with in the past few years. I had the opportunity to meet amazing people that brought me a lot personally and professionally, some of which are real friends of mine today.

Thank you to OverActive Media for their support since my first day with the organization, and for their understanding about my decision to depart and move forward in my personal life.

I want to thank all the supporters that have cheered and will continue to cheer for Toronto Defiant. The players and staff are doing their best to make you proud of your team and you are a big part of their future success. A special shout-out to the Alpha Flight and the Rooster Club for probably being the two best Supporters Clubs in the league.

Finally, I want to thank my family for supporting me in every project I have undertaken, and especially my wife for being by my side through all of this.

See you later,

Féfé