The Los Angeles Gladiators confirmed Wednesday that Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong is leaving Valorant and returning the Overwatch League.
“We’re proud to welcome @itspatiphan back to Overwatch and to the Gladiators!,” the team tweeted Wednesday. “Well worth the wait, if we do say so ourselves!”
THE PRODIGY HAS RETURNED.
We're proud to welcome @itspatiphan back to Overwatch and to the Gladiators! #ShieldsUP pic.twitter.com/daU64VGLZZ
— Los Angeles Gladiators (@LAGladiators) December 15, 2021
Patiphan began his career with Overwatch in 2020 and showed himself as an emerging star in playing for Thailand in the Bangkok qualifier for the Overwatch World Cup.
However, he had not reached the Overwatch League minimum age of 18. So he transitioned to competitive Valorant, playing for the Southeast Asian team X10 Crit.
Patiphan helped X10 reached the Valorant Champions Tour Stage 2 Masters as well as Valorant Champions. He was a key part of the team that ousted Envy from the event.
Finally 18 years old, the Thai star decided to sign with the Gladiators to further his opportunities outside of Southeast Asia.
“In Overwatch, there are more opportunities for me outside of Southeast Asia,” Patiphan told Dexerto. “Getting to live and play in America is something I cannot find anywhere else.
“Southeast Asia isn’t as competitive as other regions. If I were to play in a different region, I might have considered sticking to Valorant.”
The next season of the OWL is scheduled to begin in April on an early build of Overwatch 2. When the league resumes, Patiphan will compete with a Gladiators team that has also added support Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway and hitscan Lee “ANS” Seon-chan.
“I expect to struggle, of course,” he told Dexerto. “But I will get my rust off and be as good as I was.
“I am confident. I just need time to get used to everything.”
–Field Level Media