Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas, a legend in Counter-Strike, has announced his retirement from competitive gaming after a remarkable 20-year career. The 36-year-old made the announcement on Twitter, simply saying, “I retire. See you around.” He didn’t say what his plans are for the future or if he plans to stay in eSports.
TaZ had been playing Counter-Strike since 2001, making him one of the most experienced players still playing. He was a member of the famous Polish team known as the “Golden Five,” which dominated the Counter-Strike 1.6 circuit from 2006 to 2008. TaZ won some of the biggest 1.6 tournaments in the world while playing for teams like Team Pentagram, Meet Your Makers, and Frag eXecutors, including the World Cyber Games in 2006, 2009, and 2011, the ESWC in 2008, the WEG e-Stars in 2010 and 2011, and Intel Extreme Masters I and VI.
Virtus.pro Legend TaZ Retires From Competitive Play
I retire ♥️ see You around. pic.twitter.com/flDhf1BMpW
— TAZ (@g5taz) March 31, 2023
TaZ stayed at the top after the switch to CS:GO, but it took him a while to win trophies again. Between 2014 and 2017, his Virtus.pro team won several titles, including the EMS One Katowice 2014 Major, ELEAGUE Season 1, and DreamHack Masters Las Vegas 2017. They almost won a second Major title at the 2017 ELEAGUE Major Atlanta, but Astralis defeated them in the final.
TaZ was benched by Virtus.pro in 2018 after a string of mixed results. He then played for Team Kinguin, devils.one, and Aristocracy before starting HONORIS with his longtime friend and teammate Filip “NEO” Kubski in 2020 with the goal of developing young Polish talent.
Just two days after HONORIS stopped doing business due to financial problems, TaZ announced his retirement. TaZ and NEO frequently ended up paying for the team’s expenses out of their own pockets, and the players and staff always got paid on time.
Outsiders are going to be playing the future tournaments under the Virtus Pro brand once again. This means that the Outsiders stickers will NOT be seen again on a major capsule. Market is going crazy over them right now 📈💹 pic.twitter.com/hBY2IlLJQu
— SlasheR🌹 (@SlasheR_gg) March 22, 2023
On Twitter, TaZ was honored by many members of the community who thanked him for his 20 years of service to the game. Danny “zonic” Srensen, who played against TaZ teams many times, said, “This is sad news for Counter-Strike. A long and impressive career, my friend. Poland and the rest of the world are proud of you!” Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub, a French CS:GO legend, said: “Happy retirement. You had an amazing career, legend! Prague will always be one of my favorite player memories.” “Legend,” said BIG captain Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz. Thank you for the wonderful memories.”
The retirement of TaZ signals the end of an era in the history of competitive gaming. He will always be remembered as one of the best Counter-Strike players ever, and his legacy will continue to inspire new generations of gamers.
