Aurora Releases Entire Dota 2 Roster; Hints At Comeback

Serbian esports organization Aurora Gaming has announced its exit from the professional Dota 2 scene, marking the end of its Southeast Asian roster that had a 15-month run. In a heartfelt statement, the organization confirmed that all players have been released, ending this chapter of Aurora’s competitive journey. 

Despite stepping away, Aurora hinted at the end of their statement that they might return to the Dota 2 scene. Given that the organization is based in Eastern Europe, I speculate that a comeback could involve a new roster from the CIS region. 

😢 It has been an incredibly long and exhausting story. We have experienced both jokes and frustrations, successes and disappointments. Now unfortunately, it is time to part our ways…

🫡 We say goodbye to our Dota 2 roster — Oli, SunBhie and Palos become free agents and Abed,… pic.twitter.com/8huUcCedzm

— Aurora Dota2 (@AuroraDota2_GG) February 5, 2025

What’s Next For The Players?

Following Aurora’s exit from the region, a full lineup of talented players have now become free agents or are available for transfer:

• Oli, SunBhie, and Palos are now officially free agents.
• Abed, Q, and Jabz are now open for transfer.

The duo of Q and Jabz have been part of Aurora’s roster since its inception, joining the organization in November 2023. Meanwhile, the other three players were more recent additions, the earliest being Abed, who joined in September 2024. Carry player Palos has only been on the team for a month and has already gotten the axe.

All members of the former Aurora crew are well-established players with a wealth of competitive experience. With their proven track records, I’m sure multiple teams are also vying to secure some of them already.

Jabz is arguably the component with the highest market value. Though most players in SEA are mechanically gifted, the region is facing a drought of leadership figures. I’m sure teams in the region are already eyeing to secure the 26-year-old captain.

Aurora Gaming’s Legacy In Dota 2

Though their time in the SEA Dota 2 scene was relatively short, Aurora Gaming made a lasting impact with strong tournament performances.

Aurora initially entered the scene with a bang, signing Asian superstars with the likes of 23savage and Armel in late 2023. These players came as a package deal from the acquisition of the former Talon Esports roster. However, super teams generally don’t work out. After receiving unsatisfactory results, Aurora imported Ukrainian mid-laner Lorenof to join the ranks.

The band of brothers flew to The International 2024 where they finished in a respectable eight place, but ultimately decided to make several changes to the roster. After experimenting with former PSG Quest duo TA2000 and kaori, Aurora went for one last ride by bringing back support player Oli and fielding a full-SEA roster. 

With teams such as Talon Esports and BOOM Esports emerging, Aurora could not keep up with the competition. The team failed to qualify for numerous S-Tier events through regional qualifiers, eventually leading to its demise.

While Aurora’s future in Dota 2 remains uncertain, its farewell message suggests this is not the last time we’ll see the blue banner in the scene. For now, I’ll be keeping a close eye on where the former Aurora players will land, as it is hard to believe that high-profile names such as Abed won’t easily slot into a new team.