South Korean StarCraft 2 player Choi "Polt" Seong Hun has departed from North American organization Team EnVyUs and cancelled his plans to compete at the StarCraft 2 World Championship Series (WCS) Global Playoffs, which lead up to the Finals at BlizzCon in Anaheim on Nov. 4-5. The reason for his departure: he has been suddenly compelled to move back to his home country and fulfill mandatory military service.
Polt was invited to the World Championship tournament based on his top-eight record in 2016 in the WCS Circuit, a collection of tournaments and leagues for players who compete outside of South Korea. His replacement at the WCS Global Playoffs has yet to be announced by Blizzard.
"I have been really happy for the past six years," Polt said in a press release on Team EnVyUs' website. "Playing StarCraft 2 and meeting a lot of people in the world gave me plenty of unforgettable memories. I have been able to [accomplish] a great achievement and I appreciate all of the support from [manager Andrew Tomlinson] and Team EnVyUs. Unfortunately, the time has come to say goodbye. However, remember that every ending is a new beginning. I am looking forward to seeing you again soon."
Polt joined Team EnVyUs this past May as its second StarCraft 2 player. Prior to joining, he took first at the WCS Winter Circuit Championship at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice in Poland. After joining EnVyUs, he had a string of top placements at DreamHack Austin, Tours France, Valencia, and most recently at Montreal, where he took second overall in the WCS Summer Circuit Championship.
"Today, our entire organization is saddened that Polt must depart from competitive play," Team EnVyUs CEO Mike "Hastr0" Rufail said in the press release. "Polt has been one of the most iconic and fiercest competitors throughout his career in electronic sports. He will be remembered as a champion. We know he will take that success into whatever the future holds for him and we hope to see Polt back in esports as soon as possible."
Polt first moved to the United States in Jan. 2014 from South Korea after being granted a P1-A athletic visa by the US State Department. Polt was only the second esports athlete to obtain such a visa, the first being now-former EnVyUs teammate Kim "viOLet" Dong Hwan. That process has become an important precedent for many esports competitors who seek to bring their talent to the US.