A Heartfelt Farewell

Before I dive into the main point of this message, I wanted to say a truly heartfelt thank you for being part of WD’s journey over the last 6.5 years. I have made lasting memories (both good and bad 😅) which I will continue to carry with me and hope you all feel similarly. 

That said, it is with a heavy heart that I announce Witch Doctor Gaming will be ceasing operations, effective immediately. Whether you have been supporting us from the beginning or are a newcomer, you have helped make it possible to maintain the organization for a long time (particularly for esports/gaming). 

As a little backstory, I co-founded WD with a pair of friends but by our first anniversary, I was at the helm of the organization as both of them went off to pursue other ventures or focus on their IRL (in real life) commitments. Since then, there has been a core team of people who have helped make this possible, who I would like to shout out below:
BrokenEyez - You were among the first people to believe in me after I took the reigns of WD in early 2018. Although we have grown distant in recent years, your unavering support for me and the organizaion has helped me maintain a positive outlook on the gaming scene. Additionally, you helped me learn more about sponsorship management, a skillset that I will carry foward into my next steps.
h3rsh3yb3ar - Thank you for being such an amazing imaginative partner during the early years of WD. Your creativity and designs helped bring to life the eary vision I had for WD and were pivotal for a majority of its lifetime (they even influenced recent designs too).
SuperDotaPlaya - Along with your brother, you two helped drive the content and creative side of the organization. While you personally held many roles over your time, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for your flexibility and willingness to help further the organization during your tenure.
BigDame - Helping build a team in the FGC is not an easy task. Your journey from player to manager and eventually GM was a welcome constant over the transformations that occurred during the earlier years of WD's existence.
GrenadeSombrero - You were the first person I had had as a close advisor in months and made me appreciate having a sounding board to pushback on my various thoughts.
Ahead0TheGame - Following on the heels of some truly flexible individuals, you were an amazing thought partner to work with and I am really glad that I (and by extension WD) could provide a strong basis for you to grow in the gaming space.
Khalmoon - While you were admittedly thrown into a situation head-first, you created some truly iconic designs that I am thankful to have included as part of this conclusion for WD's story (out public post will be featured on one of the graphics you made).
Funkeefish72 - While your IRL situation might have caught up to you in recent months (I know mine has as well), I wanted to say thank you for bringing an outside perspective to this organization and the brand. As someone who has been involved since the beginning, I oftentimes get caught up in the historical context and look at things through "rose-tinted glasses" 

As much as I have valued everybody else above and those who I havenot yet named, I felt that these two individuals deserved their own sections:
Words to not begin to describe how much I have enjoyed working with the oustanding Jon "Snipess_US" Novak during his 4+ years at WD. In that time, Snipess has moved from a team captain of our Fortnite squad to a Manager and subsequently his current position of "General Manager". During this journey, I have come to rely more and more on him, thrusting more responsibility on his shoulders (with his consent, of course). That said, he has handled it better than even I could which makes me truly excited to see him continue in the gaming/content space as the Founder & Owner of Metal Monkeys Esports.
Last, but certainly not least, we have my long-running partner-in-crime (assuming Steph and Emily are both alright with my saying this 😅), Manuel "Seeker" Rodriguez. When I first contacted him about becoming involved in WD, it was after being a long-time follower of his from his days as a personality in the Vainglory content space (the game where WD first grew from). Since then, I have been honored to call him one of my friends and have continually leaned on him to provide me with a balanced, measured perspective for WD topics and (honestly) my own personal doings as well 😬.
The support of both Snipess and Seeker over these past several months (and honestly years) has meant more than I could expres in words, so I will apologize to them for not having the longest sections for them.

All told, I am beyond honored to have been part of WD's journey myself. It was a truly transformative part of my life and I will cherish the memories and relationships I have built along the way, even as the organization itself ceases active operations. Once again, thank you to those mentioned in this post, WD's members (both long-time and recent), and finally, to our community, the #ShamanSquad. All of you have come together to help make this journey as memorable as it has been. I wish you all the best of luck wherever the road may take you and, as always, don't forget to #SpreadTheCleanse.

Sincerely,
Tobias "nightstar451" Duke
Founder & Owner of Witch Doctor Gaming