Popular CoD YouTuber TheSmithPlays explains why he’s stopping channel after 8 years

The Call of Duty Zombies community is going to miss Patrick Smith, who goes by ‘TheSmithPlays,’ after the YouTuber announced he’ll be ‘ending’ his main channel after eight years.

The popular content creator is going to cap 2020 with a shock departure from the channel that has amassed over three million subscribers since he started the grind on YouTube. Smith said that he’s been feeling burnout providing content for his main account.

“It’s the word I hate to use, cause it sounds weak, but there just comes a point where you just have to be honest with yourself,” he said. “The truth is: I’m burnt out. I am burnt out making videos on this channel.”

After taking a break from creating content, the 25-year-old YouTuber said that he has plenty left in the tank for video ideas but he “just (doesn’t) feel like this aligning where I want to live my life.”

Now, Smith did say that he’ll sporadically upload on TheSmithPlays for the occasional update or major content drop to Black Ops Cold War or the next iteration of Call of Duty Zombies. But he’s prepared to commit to a completely different focus from here on out.

“I don’t think I can commit to consistent content here (on TheSmithPlays) without sacrificing a huge part of my mental health,” Smith said, predicting that his content would inevitably start to reflect how he’s coping.

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On that note, Smith indicated that he will be focusing on a longtime passion that he’s ready to immersive himself with as he looks to the next chapter of his career.

He sees himself being more happy by focusing on trying out music creation and podcasting with longtime friends, something that his community is already looking forward to as a way to keep up with him.

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The Canadian YouTuber’s channel grew substantially in 2019 before he started slowing down video production at the tail end of 2020. He recently eclipsed 3 million subscribers, and has dabbled in Fortnite among his typical Zombies content.

It’s going to be an interesting 2021 for Smith as he embarks on a different road down YouTube. One that will hopefully lead to a healthier and happier state of being.