Evil Geniuses changes begin with Zai, PPD departures

Evil Geniuses announced in an official Facebook post that Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg will be departing from their Dota 2 roster, and that Peter “PPD” Daeger, former captain, will step down as CEO. The changes come after an underwhelming performance at The International 7, where the team placed out in merely the second round of lower brackets for a 9th-12th place finish.

Wåhlberg is a support player with some previous history at Evil Geniuses, having played for SADBOYS before getting they were acquired by the esports org. He briefly stepped off to play with Secret for the 2015 season, then returned as a sub later that year. He came fully into for EG again before The International 6 last year.

Meanwhile, it appears that Daeger is parting ways with the Evil Geniuses company altogether. He took on the role of CEO last year after leaving the Dota 2 squad’s captain position. The new position gave him more flexibility to be active in the Dota 2 scene, manning a Valve event squad with several other pros and even appearing on The International 7’s commentary panel. However, it appears he has other aspirations.

"Removing myself from the CEO position at Evil Geniuses was a personal decision based entirely on my desires both personally and professionally,” he says in the Facebook statement. “Over the course of my playing and management career at EG, I have become attached to the organization as well as the countless supporters of our rosters.

“Leaving EG will be bittersweet, but ultimately I see nothing but a successful future for both myself and the organization I am leaving behind.”

Taking up some of his operations at the organization will be Phillip Aram, formerly the Dota 2 squad’s manager, though it seems the organization will hire more to fill more of Dager’s former work.

No additions were announced for the Dota 2 roster yet.

Check out our full post-TI7 roster shuffle tracker for all the changes you need to know.