The esports world has officially become poorer today. One of the most high—profile brands in the history of Dota 2, Team Secret, announced the curtailment of activity. After several years of frankly weak results, the organization decided to put on the brakes. In its official statement on Twitter (X), the club announced that it is going into standby mode and does not plan any active actions to return to the pro scene yet.
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How the Legend was Born: From TI4 to World Domination
It all started as a protest. After Natus Vincere and Fnatic failed at The International 2014, Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi and Johan “n0tail” Sundstein decided to take fate into their own hands.
They were joined by Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, Gustav “s4” Magnusson and Tal “Fly” Aizik — in fact, the real composition of the “Avengers” from the dota world. That 2014-2015 season was just crazy in intensity. However, despite the dominance, the team began to feverish due to the constant reshuffles, which eventually became their Achilles heel.
The Puppey era and the dissolution of the last line-up of the team
In recent years, Team Secret has been like trying to catch up with an outgoing train. Puppey, remaining the undisputed leader for 11 years, shuffled the compositions like a deck of cards, but the magic disappeared.
At the beginning of the month, the inevitable happened — the legendary captain left his native harbor and went to train PARIVISION. This event became the point of no return. The team’s last roster looked like this:
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Captain: Puppey (Clement Ivanov)
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Kerry: Crystallis (Remco Arets)
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Foreign Ministry: Kordan (Teng Yao)
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Offline: Boom (Miroslav Bitsan)
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Coaching staff: Seung “Heen” Gon Lee
On February 7, 2026, the organization officially closed this chapter. It’s a shame, of course, but the fans have long seen that the club is stalling.
Reasons for the departure of esports organizations from Dota
The esports scene at the end of 2025, to be honest, resembles a sinking ship. The final chord was the departure of the legendary Team Secret — the team of Clement Ivanov finally collapsed after the fiasco at the qualifiers for the Riyadh Masters and The International.
But this is not just a local failure. In fact, we are witnessing a system collapse: OG, Shopify Rebellion, BOOM Esports, and even Nouns either quit the game or put their lineups on “pause.” Organizations just don’t understand why they would throw money into a bottomless pit where payback is a myth.
Maintenance costs and salaries of Dota 2 players
The problem is money. The cost of maintaining the tier-1 roster looks wild today: players require from 15 to 35 thousand dollars a month, and this is not taking into account bonuses. Plus, the organizers of the majors have tightened the screws — now they have to shell out six-figure sums for the very right to participate in top events.
Income from sponsors and media outlets, by the way, cannot keep up with these appetites. When your entire annual budget depends on one The International, whose prize pool barely reached $2.7 million in 2025, it is, in fact, a casino.
The lack of clear annual contracts and the chaos in the distribution of Dota 2 prizes are killing any stability. It seems that the ecosystem of the game simply could not stand the pressure of its own ambitions.
The impact of Arab investments on tournaments in Riyadh
The only bright one (or not?) Saudi Arabia remains a blemish. The Esports World Cup tournament in Riyadh, with its $3 million prize pool, has become a new powerhouse in 2025. Apparently, now Riyadh is dictating all the rules of the game, assuming the role of the main sponsor of the discipline.
The money is pouring in huge amounts, however, the conditions have become tougher. Tag loyalty requirements and logistical frameworks are the very new rules that scare many away. This is a turning point for most tir-1 organizations. Short-term injections from the Saudis do not cure the fundamental diseases of team financing, but only temporarily mask the symptoms of the crisis. It is interesting, of course, which of the grandees will survive until 2027 in such conditions.
The opinion of the community and esports players about the departure of Secret
Secret’s departure was able to cause real nostalgia. Even competitors like Aurora Gaming, who qualified for ESL One Birmingham 2026 instead of the “Secrets”, could not resist compliments. They called the organization real legends and encouraged them to return someday.
OG Esports also posted a sad comment on social media. Apparently, a whole era is passing away, when the names Puppey and KuroKy had unshakeable power. It is logical that now Team Secret has not qualified for ESL One Birmingham 2026 — the team simply did not compete. Let’s see if the management finds the new “promising opportunities” mentioned in the announcement, or if this is the final goodbye.
