Veteran Taiwanese jungler Hung “Karsa” Hao-Hsuan has announced his retirement from professional League of Legends, ending his career that spanned more than a decade.
The esports veteran has represented Machi 17, Flash Wolves, RNG, Top Esports, Victory Five, Weibo Gaming, CTBC Flying Oyster, and PSG Talon during his years as a player.
Karsa shared the news via a farewell video on his YouTube channel, signaling an end to his playing career while suggesting he intends to stay involved in esports in some capacity. Initially, he intends to become a streamer, but moving into a coaching role is also not ruled out.
Older League fans remember how Karsa burst into the scene with Machi 17, and then became a household name on Flash Wolves, the LMS powerhouse that spent years punching above its weight internationally. He won four LMS titles, and made a Worlds quarterfinals and two MSI semifinals appearances.
After moving to China, he joined RNG, where he enjoyed the most successful stint of his career, winning LPL and MSI titles. He left RNG in 2020 for Top Esports, where he won LPL one more time. After two seasons in Top Esports, he moved to Victory Five and then Weibo Gaming, failing to achieve anything of note with either team.
Karsa notes in his video that after his return to the LCP (formerly LMS and PCS) region, he faced the toughest challenge in his career, because he thought he’d easily carry in this region after his time in LPL, but he failed to live up to his own standards.
In addition to the retirement video, Karsa also wrote the statement.
This time, I’m saying goodbye to my career as a professional player.
Time has really flown by. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can still clearly see the moment I first came to try out for Flash Wolves. Match after match, day after day—before I even realized it, 11 years had passed.
Over these 11 years, there were peaks and there were lows. There were many painful moments, and also many moments of joy.
I want to thank all the teammates and coaches who fought alongside me and gave their all through these years.
And I want to thank every team that believed in me.
It truly meant everything to be able to stand on the battlefield with you.
I also want to thank my mom and my brother. I’m really grateful to have you supporting and helping me every step of the way. I love you so much.
Most of all, I want to thank the fans who have supported me for so many years.
Thank you for cheering for me in the arenas, and for encouraging me even when I was at my lowest.
Every word of support, every moment you waited for me—it’s because of all of that that I can stand here today.
I truly enjoyed every moment on stage.
The thrill of competition, the roar of the crowd, and the joy that League of Legends brought me.
Today, I’m stopping here.
Karsa, the player, is saying goodbye.
But I’ll continue forward with a new identity.
11 years—thank you all for walking this journey with me.
I’m Karsa.
The player may retire, but the story will continue.
His last team ended up being PSG Talon. Riot Games has cut ties with TALON Esports’ League of Legends and VALORANT divisions due to financial irregularities and player salary payment issues. Ground Zero Gaming was given the league slot instead.
