In another shocking move that has surprised the Dota 2 community, Melchior “Seleri” Hillenkamp announces his departure from Gaimin Gladiators.
Seleri’s departure marks yet another downturn for the Esports powerhouse, Gaimin Gladiators, which was already having a rough 2025 season.
Seleri leaves Gaimin Gladiators
The Dutch Dota 2 player had previously taken a month-long break back in February 2025, citing burnout from the intense scheduling of Dota 2 tournaments. Despite Gaimin’s performance, this factor is the major reason why Seleri and more players besides are taking a break from competitive Dota 2.
Nevertheless, the month-long break has reached a new phase for Seleri as he announces his departure from Gaimin Gladiators. Having played under this banner for the longest tenure of his pro career, it speaks volume on how much Seleri and his Gaimin Gladiators teammates have gone through together.
Winning with Gaimin Gladiators
Gaimin Gladiators was founded in early 2022, and Seleri was one of the team’s initial players. Gaimin quickly grew to fame among one of the strongest Dota 2 teams hailing from Western Europe. However, it was their 2023 season that engraved Gaimin Gladiators as the best Dota 2 team at the time. They won all three Dota 2 Majors that the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) once had, and even DreamLeague tournaments. Going into the International 2023 (TI12), they were up against Team Spirit in the grand finals, but ultimately lost, falling short of an Aegis victory.
Gaimin continued to prove that they were a formidable team as they remained relevant throughout 2024, and went on to place second again at TI13.
Despite their recent downfall, notably after kicking Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov, we have to give Gaimin Gladiators credit where it’s due. They have accomplished alot and to quote Seleri’s words, “We made a name for ourselves together!”
Leaving Dota 2 Esports due to burnout
Although Seleri has not shared when he will be return to competitive Dota 2, he assured that he will be back. This leads to a bigger concern that Dota 2 pro players have been enduring recently, which we should address.
There have been many Dota 2 tournaments in recent years, particularly after Valve officially abolished the DPC . Without it, third-party organizers have full reign on when or how often they want to host tournaments, LAN or online. In 2024, we had twelve tier-1 Dota 2 tournaments, while we have fourteen confirmed tournaments this year.
Compare that to previous years, where third-party organizers only held six per year, it’s a drastic increase in Dota 2 Esports. Sure, this exponential growth has offered more Dota 2 content for the fanbase, but it’s clearly having a toll on the pro players.
With dyrachyo also taking a break from competitive Dota 2, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more players follow this trend. A break from the pro scene just to skip a tournament or two before high-priority tournaments, like the Esports World Cup and The International, sounds like a feasible idea.