Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. On March 11th, the Dallas Fuel announced via the Overwatch League website that they were releasing Felix “xQc” Lengyel after he was suspended and fined for a second time this season. This latest suspension followed derogatory chat behavior during one of xQc’s Overwatch Twitch streams.
This suspension would also mean that Felix would sit out more games than he has played at this point in the season. It is most likely for this reason that the Fuel had to let xQc go. As a core tank of the team, his absence is a significant one that ultimately costs the Dallas Fuel success. By releasing him, the Fuel have made it clear they won’t tolerate these suspensions and are serious about winning in the OWL. If players are absent, then they can’t win, and with their actions, the Fuel are indicating they would rather have a player they can count on than a star play who they can’t count on.
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It is a shame that such a skilled player like xQc has dropped the ball again, and while he may land somewhere else, he’ll have to change his behavior if he wants to seriously be considered by other teams. Blizzard has demonstrated an effort to reduce toxicity in its games, and the OWL has shown it won’t shy away from suspending its most popular players. The events that have transpired over the past several days are a strong indicator that the Overwatch League and the teams that comprise it are serious about creating a positive community to support the league.
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What do you think about Dallas’ decision to release xQc? Will he find another team, or is his time in the OWL over? Do you care about player behavior outside of the league? Let us know in the comments below!
