Shopify Rebellion Bids Farewell To Dota 2

31 Jul

Otomo

The North American Dota 2 scene has taken a significant hit today. Shopify Rebellion has departed the Dota 2 esports scene, removing one of the few consistent squads in the region.

After nearly three years of competing in North America, the team has withdrawn from the scene entirely. This leaves Wildcards as the last remaining powerhouse in the region.

Shopify Rebellion may return to Dota 2 one day

Not quite the show stealing performance we expected. (Credit: Shopify Rebellion)

The NA lineup entered the Dota 2 scene with a bag. Signing some of the biggest names at the time. Artour "Arteezy" Babaev, Jonáš "SabeRLight-" VolekC, Andreas "Cr1t-" Nielsen, and Tal "Fly" Aizik. The team debuted with a strong performance at the Lima Major, with a fourth place finish, along with a bronze medal at DreamLeague Season 19 and utter dominance in the DPC.

Things looked good for Shopify Rebellion, but the good times didn't last. They were among the first teams eliminated from both Riyadh Masters and The International 2023. The weak showing led to three members of the squad being let go. The team hoped that a new lineup would do better but unfortunately that didn't pan out.

The NA squad failed to qualify to the biggest events in 2024, forcing several roster changes throughout the year. The changes led to mixed results. Shopify was qualfying to major LAN's again, but without making a deep run in any of them.

MinD_ContRoL joins Shopify Rebellion roster as an Offlaner, replacing earlier departure of SaberLight-. (Credits: ShopifyRebels)

The straw that broke the camel's back was another first round elimination at Esports World Cup 2025. At that point, the hard decission to release the team had to be made.

"It pains me to share this, but for the time being, we have made the difficult decision to step away from Dota 2. We are releasing our entire roster unconditionally, effective immediately, so they can seamlessly pursue their next opportunities. I hope they all find great new homes and continue to shine, bringing their incredible talent and dedication to new teams."

It's not all bad news though. While they are leaving Dota 2 for now, the team's co-founder indicated that they will hopefully return when the situation is right.

"I am confident this is a “see you soon” rather than a goodbye. While we take our hiatus, I’ll always keep an eye on Dota. For now, you can bet I'll be right there with you, cheering on my favorite players as a fan during TI."

Personally, it's sad to see another region in decline. Dota 2 continues the trend of coalescing around Europe, with other regions falling further and further behind.