Two weeks ago (September 30), Alliance dropped its entire Dota 2 roster which included carry player, Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov, who played under the team since 2019. Following his departure, Nikobaby dropped a statement on a livestream that confirms he will not return to pro play. He then revealed his future plans, where he wants to focus on real life and connect with people.
Nikobaby quits pro play after 4 years with Alliance
Nikobaby and Alliance had an amazing run in 2021, securing the top 2 in both seasons of Western Europe’s Regional Leagues. Everything looked great for the squad until TI10 arrived and things went south. From then on, Alliance underwent consecutive roster shuffles, season after season – but Nikobaby remained as the core of the team. However, with no change in results, Alliance opted for a full reset.
As Nikobaby turn teamless, many fans were wondering where the Bulgarian player is going next. But it seems like his journey with Alliance was his final ride in the Dota 2 pro scene.
In his latest livestream, Nikobaby did a Q&A and a chatter asked about what team he wants to join next, to which he answered: “No, I’m not going to continue being a pro. 100%.”
A chatter asked if he would make content for Alliance and he answered: “I’m on my own for now and I like having the freedom right now.”
Nikobaby wants to start a new page in life
The 25-year-old then elaborated on his goals and future plans – which involved a lot of connecting with people and real life, as well as sharing the knowledge he accumulated throughout his career.
“My main goal is to say the truth and enjoy what I’m doing as much as I can. I’m going to share what I learned during these 6 – 7 years of being a pro. For now, I’m going to stream potentially every day, but it’s not going to be just Dota 2 streams. I also want to focus on some real-life conversations with other people, kind of like a podcast but on Twitch.”
A chatter asked if he felt burnt out from Dota or competing. To this, Nikobaby agreed.
“Definitely from competing. I spent the last 6-7 years inside virtual reality for 14-15 hours a day. But now I want to enter a new page in my life. I have invested all of the money that I earned so I can secure life for myself outside of it. Now I just read a lot, try to learn about life, and connect with people. We’ll see, I haven’t planned a future too far ahead.”
Nikobaby is a prominent figure in the Dota 2 community, known for his fearless and bold carry playstyle. With the announcement of his retirement, the community bids a heavy farewell. Although he won’t be around for competition, it’s clear that he wants to keep giving to the Dota 2 community in other ways. To follow Nikobaby on his journey, you can tune in to his Twitch channel and keep updated with his upcoming podcasts!
Nikobaby on Alliance Twitch chat hate: “I don’t look at those things. I know when you are winning everyone is with you, and when you are losing everyone is against you.”
Nikobaby has been Alliance’s rock during a tumultuous time that’s seen the team go through plenty of struggles. He spoke to Esports.gg at ESL One Malaysia.
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