One of the biggest names in Fortnite, William ‘Zayt’ Aubin, is officially retiring from playing the game competitively and will remain with NRG as both a content creator and a coach/analyst the reviews games live on his stream.
Few Fortnite players achieved the prominence that Zayt did during his heyday; as a finalist for both the battle royale’s Solos and Duos World Cup finals in 2019, the longtime competitive player is regarded as one of the best the game has ever seen.
However, on January 12, in a brief broadcast on his Twitch channel, Zayt announced that he will no longer be competing in Fortnite: “What I’m going to be doing, which feels really weird to say especially coming from someone like me, is stop competing in Fortnite. I’m going to stop playing tournaments, I’m going to stop playing scrims.”
Why did Zayt retire from competitive Fortnite?
The streamer ultimately attributed his reason for quitting competitive Fortnite to the lack of having fun. He explained that, in the early days of the battle royale, playing with friends was all about having casual fun, and when the competitive side of the game took off, that was replaced with his desire to win and be the best.
He highlighted his placements at the World Cup finals (fourth in Duos, 35th in Solos) as one of the major turning points of his career, due to the disappointment of falling short of his ultimate goal, which was to win the event.
However, he continued to compete, and even after finally winning the Duos FNCS in Season 2 of Chapter 2, the victory hadn’t fulfilled him the way he’d imagined. Zayt quickly came to the realization that playing the game was no longer fun for him.
“One of the worst things in life would be to have regrets. I was telling myself if I quit the game or retire, I’ll regret it forever because the next World Cup or the next big event – that could be me winning it. Basically, I didn’t have fun playing the game and I didn’t have competing or getting better at the game.”
Today @zayt goes down as one of the Fortnite greats.
Congratulations on an amazing competitive career, and we can't wait to support you in your next chapter as a coach and NRG content creator. #NRGFam 🔛🔝 pic.twitter.com/O3Fds2vk5Q
— NRG (@NRGgg) January 12, 2021
Zayt reveals future career plans with NRG
Zayt has made it very clear that he’s not completely done with Fortnite – quite the contrary, he will continue with NRG as a content creator focusing on the battle royale, while also acting as a coach/analyst and reviewing matches live on his stream.
“Before you guys freak out, I’m not leaving NRG, I’m staying in the Fortnite scene,” he said. “I’m going to become a coach, analyst, mentor type of thing. I’m not going to be a private coach; basically what I’m going to be doing is streaming watching scrims, and when they’re playing, I’m going to explain to you guys what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.
“I’m going to be pushing out YouTube videos, putting out a bunch of helpful stuff for competitive. You’re not going to see a Zayt highlight, you’re not going to see an ‘I dropped 30 kills in Arena.'”
You can watch Zayt’s entire announcement broadcast below:
Messages poured in on social media following Zayt’s massive announcement, as other competitive Fortnite players and veterans of the game who he’d teamed with in the past took to Twitter to express their support.
seeing one of the best fortnite players quit the game is pretty weird, if changes aren't made soon many others will most likely follow down the same path. best of luck to your future @zayt 💙
— Bugha (@bugha) January 12, 2021
Gonna miss you, this one hits hard ❤️Thanks for everything. Love u bro @zayt pic.twitter.com/yGDKFYxOMH
— Saf (@Safarooniee) January 12, 2021
Welcome to the boomer club @zayt
— Tfue (@TTfue) January 12, 2021
Seeing someone like Zayt retire from competitive really hurts. You left an unforgettable legacy. Excited to see what's next and I wish you happiness GOAT.
— TNA Zoof (@zoof) January 12, 2021
While there’s no doubt that the competitive ranks of Fortnite will miss Zayt, the good news is that his charismatic presence will continue to live within the battle royale’s vast community.
His knowledge and mastery of the game’s ins and outs are unparalleled and will be invaluable to all those who watch him as a live coach and analyst.
