Daniel Francesca (born December 27, 1993), better known as dafran, is a Danish

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video game streamer and former professional ''

Overwatch ''Overwatch'' (abbreviated as OW) is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment. ''Overwatch (video game), Overwatch'' was released in 2016 with a success ...

'' player. As an

esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

competitor, Francesca represented

Selfless Gaming Selfless Gaming was an American esports organization with teams competing in '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', ''Killer Instinct'', ''Overwatch'' and ''Rocket League''. The team was formed by former Enemy eSports CS:GO members on February ...

before being suspended from competitive play. He returned to competitive play with

Atlanta Reign The Atlanta Reign were an American professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018 by At ...

, one of the expansion franchises for the

2019 Overwatch League season The 2019 Overwatch League season was the second season of the Overwatch League (OWL), an esport based on the video game ''Overwatch''. The league expanded from 12 teams from the inaugural season to 20 teams. Of the eight new teams, two were from t ...

. At the end of the Stage 1 of the League's 2019 season, Francesca announced that he would be stepping away from competitive play in favor of being a full-time streamer for the Atlanta Reign. Francesca has also played in the

Overwatch World Cup The Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) is an annual international '' Overwatch'' esports tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer, with the first edition taking place in 2016. The tournament ran every year until 2019; after a ...

for Team Denmark in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Career

Selfless Gaming

On January 31, 2017,

organization

announced the addition of Francesca to their ''

'' roster. The team qualified for Season Zero of

Overwatch Contenders Overwatch Contenders (OWC) was an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in ...

2017 on June 3; however, two days later, Francesca was suspended from casual and competitive play by

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and Selfless Gaming after

throwing Throwing is a physical action that consists of mechanically accelerating a projectile and then releasing it into a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a distant target. ''Throwing'' typically refers to hand-throwing by a ...

''Overwatch'' games on stream while streaming a pornographic dating sim game,

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, atop his matches. "While Dafran will no longer be playing with our team," Selfless said in a statement, "we will be assisting him in finding the help, counseling, and guidance that he needs to improve his mental and emotional well-being." While Francesca was still on the team's roster, Selfless disbanded on July 7, 2017.

Atlanta Reign

Francesca was approved to join Atlanta's professional

Overwatch League The Overwatch League (OWL) was a professional esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'', produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. From 2018 to 2023, the Overwatch League followed the model of other traditional North American prof ...

team (later revealed as

) in September 2018; although he refuted the claim. A month later, Reign announced their inaugural season starting roster, which included dafran. On November 7, Francesca announced via

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that he would be leaving the Overwatch League, stating, "The end. I hate the game. Thought I could love it again and have passion, but it's impossible. I always end up soft throwing. Contract ended. ''Overwatch'' uninstalled. McDonald's here I come. For real though, thanks for everything you have given me OW community." However, he apologized and rejoined the team a day later, stating that he made a "dumb" mistake. The retraction marked the fourth time in nearly four months that he had changed his intentions about participating in the Overwatch League. Throughout Stage 1 of the 2019 season, Francesca had the top-selling Overwatch League jersey, ahead of the 2018 season MVP Bang "JJonak" Sung-hyeon. Francesca helped Atlanta Reign finish Stage 1 with a 4–3 record and a Stage 1 playoff berth. Reign lost in the quarterfinals to

Philadelphia Fusion Seoul Infernal is a professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Seoul, South Korea. The Infernal compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017 as the Philade ...

on March 22; five days later, Francesca announced that he was, again, officially retiring from the Overwatch League and becoming an official Atlanta Reign streamer, citing that professional gaming was not something he enjoyed anymore.

References

{{Authority control Danish esports players Living people 1993 births Atlanta Reign players Danish Twitch (service) streamers