On December 28th PST, RNG's Top Laner Liu 'Zzitai' Zhihao announced his retirement during RNG's 6th Anniversary Ceremony. As long time veteran player since Season 2, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours. The following is an interview conducted shortly after his announcement.









You are a player that debuted very early into the scene. As you were also very young when you became a professional player, how were your family’s reactions? What kind of difficulties did you face in the earlier years?

Zzitai: At first, my family did not support me; they wanted me to resume my studies. It wasn’t until I recently achieved good results that they would gradually begin to support me. The most profound thing was when I was under a lot of pressure, they comforted me saying, “If you are tired, then you can come back. But if you still want to persist, your Father and Mother will always support you. Don’t have any regrets.”





During your time as a professional player, you transitioned several times between Mid Lane and Top Lane. How is it like to experience different roles?

Zzitai: As a Mid Laner, sometimes it is easier to feed since you are more eager to turn back disadvantages into your team’s advantages. As a Top Laner, I can help control the team’s pace. I can also help reduce pressure from my team by split pushing. By using TP, I can change dire situations and open the game. Most importantly, is to remain calm and focused as the audience watches.





You have played professionally for many years. When was it the hardest for you to persist through? Have you thought about retiring in other instances besides this one?

Zzitai: No, before Summer Season ended, I have never considered retiring.





Currently, compared to many professional players, you are still younger than them. What was the deciding factor of you choosing to retire?

Zzitai: First of all, six years of playing professionally is really tiring. In addition to occupational injuries piling up, it became hard to be in the best competition form. Another reason is because I already dedicated half of my youth to the LPL. For the rest of my youth, I want to do something I am interested in and spend time with the people who have always supported me.





As of your retirement, all of the old generation of Invictus Gaming members have retired. What left you the deepest impression from that time?

Zzitai: When we were together in the past, everyone did not have much money. If someone brought back snacks to the base, the remaining four would definitely come to you as you rank saying, “Hey~ You played pretty well there~ You’re climbing~” as they steal some snacks away. Of course ~ there are two members who do this often, but I won’t reveal any names~ hahahha~





Compared to the professional environment in the past, what do you think of the current environment for professional players? Which parts do you think need to be improved?

Zzitai: Right now, I personally think the environment is already very mature. In the future, I hope team management can guide the newcomers more, and if the food can be improved, that would be very good hahah.









Among S2, S5 and S8 Worlds, which one impressed you most? Can you tell us the reason?





Zzitai: S2 I think, it was my debut in Worlds after all. It was totally different from regular matches, I couldn’t help being nervous.









So why did you transfer from Snake to RNG at that time? Which player did you appreciate most during your time on Snake?





Zzitai: Everyone on Snake was pretty easy going, I especially admire the professionalism of Krystal, he was eager to come back to competitive scene during periods of his illness.









RNG’s home court is in Beijing where is your hometown. You have played here and announced your retirement here, wasn’t it special to you?





Zzitai：It’s familiar to me, it’s where I have grown up after all. Hope I can meet some my old friends after retirement.









Most of your career was spent on some popular teams, did you ever feel pressure from it?





Zzitai: No, actually I was pretty excited on the popularity of my teammates, but I really appreciate that my fans could support me all the way.









How long did it take you to come up with the decision of retiring? Did you decide it all by yourself or received suggestions from others?





Zzitai: I have talked about it with many people and I have thought about it a lot too. It didn't take long, just for a certain moment, I felt that I should stop my esports career right here to really think about what I want to do. Like that I made up my mind, even though I was somewhat unwilling to retire.









Tell us about your personal plan after retirement.

Zzitai: At this moment, I am going to be a full-time streamer, because I’m pretty enjoy interacting with fans through Internet; it feels like I am in a premade party with many friends. Please show me your support in the future as well, thanks!

























Translated by Caramelized, @iced_caramel11

