Crimsix, the winningest Call of Duty player in history, has officially announced his retirement from competitive Call of Duty. He explained in a video posted on YouTube that there was a ‘huge generational gap’ that he was struggling to deal with, and he was essentially one of the few remaining veterans from an age-old breed of COD competitors. Following sixteen years of competition that have brought 38 major wins, three world championships, and over $1 million in winnings, Crimsix has now retired.
For the last few weeks, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter has been struggling with the realization that he might not be able to secure a starting spot in the 2023 Call of Duty League season. As it dawned on him that there would be no real home for him in the CDL next season, he made the difficult decision to ultimately move on. This comes as a huge blow to the Call of Duty esports scene, given that Crimsix is one of the very few remaining ‘founding fathers’ of modern COD competitive gaming.
Crimsix posted a video to his YouTube channel that broke down his decision over the course of twelve minutes. It was a touching farewell to Call of Duty esports that explained everything perfectly, from end to end.
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At the core of this decision comes Crimsix’s realization that he’s not as young as he used to be, and times are definitely changing. It was around halfway through his announcement that he explored this notion, saying:
‘In the middle of the season, I looked at the League, and I noticed that not only was I the oldest player – or second oldest, when Clay was playing – but I started looking at the coaches, too. I realized I was older than most coaches – then I looked at the casters… I realized that besides Maven, because he’s 600 years old, that I was older than most casters, too.’
He went on to explain that there’s a huge amount of sacrifice required to become a competitive Call of Duty player, and ‘outsiders’ might not necessarily realize that. As a career player at the age that he is, Crimsix, unfortunately, highlighted that it requires so much more time, effort, and energy to be able to compete at the level required to be considered an esports competitor.
However, this isn’t the end of Crimsix’s story, as he went on to cover his future and detailed at length what he would be focusing on next:
‘And the next step guys, by the way, is content. I’m going to move into content, I’m going to be competing in Warzone 2, I’m going to be streaming everything that I can, doing YouTube everyday, in every way possible. And I’m not just talking Warzone 2 – I’m talking car stuff, you know, the simulation and track racing stuff. Maybe I’ll go to some F1 races here and there. Also, I want to do gun stuff – firearm-related stuff.’
Crimsix capped off his massive, shocking announcement with an apprehensive message:
‘I’m excited – but the final note is that I’m also scared. I’m scared shitless, guys. Because it has been, you know – like I said – sixteen years… It’s the only thing I’ve ever truly known.’
It’s an emotional thing to deliver, and as the winningest Call of Duty player in history, Crimsix’s departure will leave ripples throughout the community. For years, he has been seen as a true in-game leader, using his remarkable and valuable experience to lead a new generation of players into the unknown.
