Censor announces CoD retirement as veteran calls time on 13-year career

Competitive Call of Duty veteran Doug ‘Censor’ Martin has called time on his esports career, hanging up his controller after 13 years of battling the very best at the highest levels of play.

As one of the longest-standing figures in the CoD scene, one of the last true veterans, Censor has officially decided to walk away from the competitive space, announcing his next steps in a January 29 YouTube video.

From his come-up in the trenches under the likes of Team Envy and FaZe Black, to his four-year stint on FaZe Clan, a brief run in the CDL with New York Subliners, and most recently, a stretch with Boston Breach’s Academy team, Censor has seen and done it all.

The now 29-year-old began with Treyarch’s original Black Ops in 2011 and competed across 13 different CoD titles, ranging from traditional boots on the ground to futuristic jetpack-infused combat.

Although a fourth-place record at 2014’s CoD Champs event marks Censor’s greatest single triumph, the veteran won multiple Open events through the years along with dozens of top-four finishes to boot.

While leaving a historic legacy behind, Censor already has his sights on what’s next. The simple goal of breaking a Guinness World Record. Looking to set the most pull-ups in 24 hours, Censor is actively training to tackle this feat in a matter of months.

“The record is really important to me,” he said through teary eyes in his video. “It means a lot to me for a lot of reasons. I’m seven months into training. This final stretch of training for me is gonna be really hard.

“I knew after this tournament was over it was time for me to retire from Call of Duty. I’ve been around esports almost my entire life and I’m 30 years old. I just don’t like where my head is at right now. I’m looking forward to focusing on other things outside of playing.”

Beyond the record chase, Censor added he won’t be stepping away from the spotlight and, in fact, is looking to do more than ever on the content side with CDL org Boston Breach.

“Maybe in the future, I play again, I don’t know,” he pondered, leaving the door ever so slightly open. But for now, his priorities lie elsewhere. Marking the end of his full-time commitment to competitive CoD.