Wu "Reeps96" Weichen announced a sudden departure from Dire Wolves on Twitter today. The move, said the Chinese player, was due to "personal reasons".
Reeps96 was the best player in Stage 3 in APAC South, his debut stage in the top-flight. He topped the leaderboards with a SiegeGG Rating of 1.27, a K-D of +23, and a +11 K-D on Entry. He was also Dire Wolves' best player at the Jönköping Major with a SiegeGG Rating of 1.14 and a +12 K-D.
The young star player said on Twitter he is "able to relocate" and is open to a new team for the 2023 season.
Dire Wolves coach Odin "Odin" Hempel stated on Twitter that the move "caught [the team] by complete surprise".
Odin also replied to a SiegeGG enquiry, revealing that Reeps96 only told the team "one hour before [their] second scrim since (the) break (after the Jönköping Major)" and that the player did not share his reasons for his departure.
Dire Wolves manager Zhang "Daling" Yingmei also clarified that Reeps96 is still under contract until Mar. 1 and will not be released from it prematurely.
The APAC South team, which debuted internationally at the Charlotte Major, is not yet qualified for the Six Invitational 2023 and is set to play in the APAC Closed Qualifier next month. However, Reeps96's departure puts their status as favourite under significant doubt, with teams such as SANDBOX Gaming, FURY, and Fnatic also in the mix.