LAT Sam "Octane" Larew Retires from Call of Duty League
BREAKING - Sam "Octane" Larew has retired from competing in the Call of Duty League and will move to content creation for 100 Thieves.
Octane's career was full of accolades. With nine Championships and one ring, he played for multiple prestigious teams, such as OpTic Gaming and 100 Thieves, before the CDL. During the CDL era, he spent time with the Seattle Surge and has been with the LA Thieves for the last two years. Octane become one of the most complete and well-rounded ARs in the Call of Duty history.
During his final year, Octane earned Team of the Year honors as one of the best AR players in the CDL. He was a tremendous all-around player and one of the best Hardpoint stars in the game. Octane ended the year with a 1.06 overall K/D, and while the year ended earlier than he would have hoped, it was still a spectacular season for the veteran.
In an emotional video announcing his retirement, Octane makes it clear that it's "not a skill issue" and his "priorities have shifted away from competing." He goes on to say, "Spending time with my family, going home, and having that personal thing I haven't had my entire life" will be more of a priority of his going forward.
With Rostermania heating up, there were tons of question marks surrounding how LAT's roster was going to look. With each player up for a contract renewal, things were destined to change. Octane just turned 26 years old, which puts him as one of the elder statesmen in the CDL.
While skill isn't the issue, the stress of competing and dealing with the questions of where you'll play next year can certainly weigh on players. This may be the last time we see Octane on the Main Stage, but not the last time we see him on the sticks.
Congrats to Sam Larew and an illustrious career, and best of luck on the new chapter in content creation.
Zack is the Publishing Manager for Esports Illustrated. He grew up playing videos as a kid, mainly sports games and the Call of Duty series. Before his work at Esports Illustrated, Zack published content for the NFL Draft for various sites since 2017, including partner sites on FanNation and has appeared on various shows across the country and videos across the FanNation group. Outside of work, Zack enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He loves playing football and video games with his son, taking his two daughters to get their favorite treats, and binge-watching shows with his wife. Zack began covering Esports at the end of 2022, mainly covering the Call of Duty League.