With success becoming elusive to its so-called ‘Redemption Tour’, Blacklist International has pulled the plug from its Dota 2 team, releasing all of its players to free agency after two years.

The esports organization under the Tier One Entertainment recently made the announcement, citing ‘the need to reassess its future’ as the reason for the disbandment.

“After two years of working with Rivalry to bring Blacklist to the Dota scene, this chapter of our history is coming to a close,” the organization said in a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Blacklist Rivalry looked to be a promising team when it entered the scene in 2022 with the aim of bringing back the glory days of Filipino Dota 2 players. 

The organization formed an all-Filipino crew 2023 DPC season that featured some of the best homegrown talents in Carlo “Kuku” Palad, Timothy “Tims” Randrup, Marc Polo “Raven” Fausto, Nico “eyyou” Barcelon, and Karl “Karl” Baldovino.

The crew, however, came up short of the expectations and missed The International 12 that year, prompting Blacklist to make some tweaks to the lineup. 

That was when John Anthony “Natsumi” Vargas, Kim “Gabbi” Santos, Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla and NA star Abed “Abed” Yusopp joined Tims for the 2024 season.

While the team managed to qualify in top tier tournaments like the Riyadh Masters during the Esports World Cup, the team still fell short of its goal to qualify to TI13.

“No one can deny that Blacklist Rivalry fought hard to fulfill the mission. Whether you love us or hate us, one thing is for sure: you followed us throughout this journey,” said Blacklist.

“And for that, we are thankful. Unfortunately, even the greatest of stories must come to an end. We are incredibly thankful for each and every player and coach that has been part of the team. Their contributions to the Blacklist culture will always remain a part of our history,” it added

“As of today, the redemption story is now officially over. But the mission, as always, will never end.”