Summary
- The main reasons he is retiring are because of the commitment that professional play takes, the mental pressure of being a professional player, and wanting to focus on being a father soon.
- Perkz announced a personal Q&A livestream to give fans and the League community full transparency and closure.
- His retirement represents the end of an incredible chapter in esports, as he leaves behind a legacy as one of the greatest Western League of Legends players.
Perkz’s retirement from Pro League of Legends is a huge bombshell to drop on the esports world. It’s also a sad conclusion to a remarkable competitive gaming journey. After more than ten years of running the mid lane and captivating fans around the globe, Luka “Perkz” Perković is walking away from the limelight and putting the keyboard down for good.
Perkz’s Career Overview
Luka “Perkz” Perković started his professional League of Legends career at 16 years old in 2014. And with just a few years of professional play, he climbed through the ranks with many significant A-tier & Riot-backed tournaments. Early in his career, he was playing for teams such as GSI Gaming, Gamers2, and Millenium. But it wasn’t until he joined G2 Esports in 2015 and stayed until 2020 did he really started getting traction within professional League of Legends. He quickly became a staple within G2, and G2 quickly started having monumental success under his reign.
Looking back, he was an essential figure in G2’s emergence as the most dominant organization in the European League of Legends Championship (LEC). He earned eight LEC titles with repeats in either the Spring or Summer splits. Also, he was a prominent player in G2’s momentous 2019 MSI triumph, the first time an EU team had won. That same year, Perkz demonstrated his ability to adapt to he different role of bot lane instead of mid lane. Ultimately, this led G2 to a World Championship final, ending with a runner-up position.
Following his historic tenure with G2, Perkz explored North America in 2021 with Cloud9. There, he continued to win by capturing the LCS Spring Split and mid-season showdown, becoming one of the few players to win championships in both major Western regions. After that, he returned to Europe again and competed for Team Vitality and then Team Heretics. However, at the same time, his top-level competitive form was reduced gradually.
Reasons for Retirement
Luka “Perkz” Perković‘s retirement from professional League of Legends is the end of an incredible ten-year career filled with a lot of success and also introspection. At the young age of only 26 years old, Perkz stated that a big part of retiring was the time commitment and the weight of the pressures of being a competitor.
He mentioned he wanted to escape time pressures managing competitive gaming and said, “There is just no time allocation, and all the bad things that come with the stresses of competing, I don’t want to manage anymore.” In addition, Perkz is also getting ready to start a new chapter in his life as a father. Hence, this is also a factor in his decision to walk away from professional gaming and focus on his family.
Looking at things beyond the logistics of time and stress, Perkz examined his past with appreciation and closure. He recognized the successes and failures that have been part of his career, stressing that he always gave his best even if the results were not what he had hoped for. The Croatian star made a meaningful statement about his identity, saying, “Perkz is dead. […] He’s not a player anymore. It’s just Luka left now.”
After confirming his retirement, Perkz planned to host a Q&A livestream the same day at 9:00 PM CET. The Q&A stream showed that Perkz wanted to close the chapter in a transparent and personal way. The day was a significant moment in the League of Legends community as they said goodbye to an esports legend.
Legacy and Impact
With Perkz’s retirement from League of Legends esports, it appears the community is ready to close the chapter on a phenomenal era in esports history. Perkz has gone down as one of the most incredible figures in the League of Legends esports scene. This cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Western players of all time.
Over an incredibly impressive decade-long career, he amassed eight LEC championships, tying him for the third most in LEC history. This is alongside his legendary teammates, Caps and Mikyx. His ability to switch roles effectively in the same team was a huge aspect of his playstyle, merely switching positions with specializations as the game evolved. There are very few people in the world who can boast of dipping into multiple lanes successfully, and that all comes down to his understanding of the game.
The End of an Arc
Perkz’s retirement is not just a player taking a break, it’s the end of an era that has given so much to the future of League of Legends esports. He has an amazing legacy, has impacted countless fans and communities with his awe-inspiring wins, and limitless style. This is a special moment for fans not only to look back on Perkz as a player, but as a person who has still been finding their path now that professional playing has closed.
