Karsa announces retirement from competitive League of Legends after 11 years

Veteran jungler Hung ‘Karsa’ Hao-Hsuan has officially announced his retirement from professional League of Legends.

Another veteran hangs his mouse and keyboard

Karsa made the announcement through a heartfelt video posted on his own social media channels. “Today, I’m going to stop and take a step back,” he said. “Player Karsa is saying goodbye to everyone.” After 11 years of professional experience, Karsa said he will be moving forward to a different role, although he didn’t specify what his new identity will be.

Started out as a pro player back in 2014, Karsa became a big name when he played for Flash Wolves back in 2015 in what he considers one of the ‘happiest periods’ of his entire career. His proactive playstyle brought him and the rest of the team to a top-eight finish at the 2015 world championship in his first attempt, which was then followed by two more Worlds appearances. Throughout his three years at Flash Wolves, the team also picked up four LMS split titles, as well as two top-four finishes at the Mid-Season Invitational in 2017 and 2018.

His strong stint in the PCS allowed him to move over to the LPL, joining Royal Never Give Up in the golden era alongside legendary ADC Jian ‘Uzi‘ Zi-Hao, winning the 2018 MSI title and two LPL championships. While he shared the stage with another jungler, Liu “Mlxg” Shi-Yu, Karsa was the one who played more often, and his performance allowed him to stay in the Chinese league in the following years, moving to Top Esports in 2020. In that season, the jungler won another domestic championship and achieved his best result at Worlds, finishing in the top four after losing to domestic rivals Suning.

Karsa – the face of the PCS region

Karsa stayed in the LPL until 2023, spending his last two years in Victory Five and Weibo Gaming, respectively. While the results weren’t that bad, he didn’t win more trophies since then and was put on the bench after the 2023 Spring Split. Returning to the PCS in 2024, the jungler first joined CTBC Flying Oysters before moving to PSG Talon for 2025.

Earlier this year, PSG made it to the 2025 world championship after finishing third in the LCP Season Finals, giving the player one last Worlds run. Unfortunately, it was a rough end: PSG struggled during the Swiss stage and was knocked out early on, becoming one of the two teams with no wins on the board. Regardless, Karsa remains one of the most iconic players from the Pacific region as he now moves on to a new chapter.