If you were an Overwatch League fan in the early days of the game, you definitely remember Kim "Pine" Do-hyeon, the iconic DPS player famous for his insane Widowmaker and McCree plays that left live crowds screaming. A lot of fans that stepped away from Overwatch for a few years often come back asking does pine still play overwatch, especially after Overwatch 2 launched and drew thousands of old players back to the franchise. I’ve followed Pine’s career since his New York Excelsior peak, so I dug through his recent streams, social media posts, and public comments to give you the full, up-to-date answer with no fluff.
Does Pine Still Play Overwatch Regularly?
The short answer is yes, just not in the full-time professional capacity you might remember. After retiring from the Overwatch League in 2020 due to ongoing health issues, Pine stepped back from the nonstop grind of pro practice and shifted to content creation full time. He still jumps into Overwatch 2 on a regular basis, though he mixes it with other games to avoid burnout. As of recent updates, Pine streams Overwatch 2 2-3 times a week on average, usually for 3-4 hour sessions focused on casual quick play and competitive open queue. He still shows off the same sharp aim that made him a household name in the Overwatch community, even when he’s just messing around with friends. I caught one of his streams last month where he landed 12 consecutive headshots on Widowmaker in a quick play match, and chat went just as wild as they did during his old OWL performances. He also tried out new heroes like Illari and Junker Queen when they launched, and he’s gotten surprisingly good at support play, a role he almost never touched during his pro career. He’s also made appearances at recent Overwatch community events, including a 2023 Overwatch World Cup show match where he picked up a 5k on Widowmaker that went viral across TikTok and Twitter.
What Other Games Does Pine Play Besides Overwatch?
Pine isn’t a one-trick content creator, and he’s open about the fact that playing the same game every day makes him lose his love for it. When he’s not streaming Overwatch, he spends a lot of time on other competitive shooters like Valorant, where he’s reached Immortal rank on multiple accounts. He also plays League of Legends with his old pro player friends on a regular basis, and he’s been known to sink 10+ hours into single-player games when a new title he’s excited about drops. Pine has repeatedly stated that he prioritizes his mental and physical health over grinding a single game for content, which is why his streaming schedule is so varied. When The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launched in 2023, he streamed 12 straight hours of the game, and his chat spammed requests for Overwatch so much that he promised to do a 6 hour Overwatch marathon the following weekend. He followed through on that promise, and even did a viewer custom game lobby where he played against 11 random fans for an hour. He’s said that switching between games keeps his aim sharp and prevents the burnout that made him leave pro play in the first place, so fans shouldn’t expect him to only stream Overwatch anytime soon.
Will Pine Ever Return to Professional Overwatch Play?
This is one of the most common questions he gets in his chat, and he’s been very consistent with his answer over the past few years. He has no plans to return to full-time professional Overwatch play, for a number of very valid reasons he’s spoken about at length.
- Chronic wrist pain that flairs up during extended 8+ hour practice days required for pro play, a issue that plagued him for most of his OWL career
- Desire to spend more time with family and friends, which isn’t possible with the strict Overwatch League travel and practice schedule that often keeps players away from home for months at a time
- Preference for creating casual, low-pressure content over the high-stress environment of competitive pro matches, where one bad play could get a player benched for an entire stage
Where Can You Watch Pine Play Overwatch Now?
Pine streams exclusively on Twitch, under the handle @pine, and he usually posts his weekly streaming schedule on his Twitter/X account so fans can plan ahead. He doesn’t stick to a super strict schedule, but he tends to stream in the evening KST, which translates to early morning or midday for North American fans. If you want to catch him playing Overwatch live, the best days to tune in are usually Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, when he's more likely to play longer casual sessions. He also uploads highlight clips of his best Overwatch plays to his YouTube channel, usually 1-2 videos a month featuring his craziest Widowmaker clips or funny moments with his friends. If you drop a comment in his chat asking him to play a specific hero, he’ll usually oblige if he’s not in the middle of a serious ranked grind. He also sometimes runs viewer custom game lobbies when he hits certain subscriber milestones, so you might even get the chance to play against him if you’re lucky. When he plays Overwatch, he often queues up with other old OWL players like JJonak and Saebyeolbe, so their streams are full of funny banter and stories from their pro playing days that long-time fans will love.
So if you’ve been wondering does pine still play overwatch, the short answer is yes, just not in the full-time pro capacity you might remember from his peak OWL days. He’s still got the same insane aim that made him a fan favorite, and he still loves jumping into casual matches with friends or streaming ranked games for his audience when he’s in the mood. If you haven’t watched his streams in a few years, it’s worth tuning in next time he fires up Overwatch – you’ll probably see a play that reminds you exactly why he was once considered the best DPS player in the world. Don't be surprised if he pulls off a 6k Widowmaker play out of nowhere, even when he's just playing for fun. He’s still got it, and he’s not planning on stepping away from Overwatch entirely anytime soon.