33-year-old talent PwnAlone hangs up the mouse

There is an end of an era as Josh "PwnAlone" Pigue has announced he is taking a step back from competition. In a post on X late last night, the legendary North American AWPer wrote a goodbye message after his squad was eliminated from ESL Challenger League playoffs.

"And with that, I think it's time for me to hang up the mouse in the competitive scene and try to move onto something new," PwnAlone wrote. "I've had a great time over the past 7+ years playing against the best in NA and meeting tons of people from around the world... Maybe one day I'll return to competing but right now I'm taking a break from it. I would be potentially down to stand in for events/qualifiers if anyone needs."

PwnAlone will leave behind a career that spans years, with his first big break into the scene coming when he was 27 years old on Vireo.pro. From there, he would eventually join the first iteration of Party Astronauts, where he has become the face of the orgless squad for years.

Throughout his time in North America, the AWPer has been a pillar of the community and part of teams like New England Whalers, High Coast Esports, and even the fated Evil Geniuses White, which would win Fragadelphia 17.

"Thank you NA once again for having my back and always being there, it means the world. I'll see you in chat! <3"

Dust2.us had reached out to PwnAlone who confirmed that he would be taking a backseat to competition, but could possibly return with the right squad.