DarkZero Esports today released a statement revealing that Paul "Hyper" Kontopanagiotis will be stepping away from the roster for Stage 3 and taking an "extended break" due to "personal reasons". Alexander "Skys" Magor will be playing in his stead.
Hyper revealed in a TwitLonger that he felt "super unmotivated to play the game and just burnt out in general". He shared that he attempted to "play through it" and reignite the passion with the start of Stage 3, but realised that after four years of Siege with little-to-no downtime, "a break is due".
The burnout was not the only factor leading to Hyper's decision. The DZ player also revealed that a close family member of his had recently "suffered life changing injuries" and led to him wanting to "go home and be with family".
He also expressed regret that he "fucked his team over this stage" and affirmed his commitment to playing again some time in the future.
While DZ are not allowed to use Skys as a stand-in player according to the 2022 Global Rulebook, the former DZ man was in fact re-signed during the most recent transfer window as revealed by Skys himself -- his signing was just not announced.