NRG Zayt retires from competitive Fortnite

Williams “Zayt” Aubin, one of Fortnite’s veteran esports players under the NRG Esports banner recently announced his retirement from competitive Fortnite.

Zayt Retires

He joins Cloud9’s Noah “Vivid” Wright who retired from professional play just a week ago. Zayt made this known to all in the Fortnite community through his stream on Twitch. He made it clear that he would not be leaving the Fortnite scene entirely. He will remain with NRG but take on a new role there.

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 revealed he was no longer happy playing the game competitively. This is mostly due to the current meta of Fortnite which many pros continue to complain about. Epic Games’ decision to reduce prize pools across Cash Cup tournaments for this year also made the situation worse.

Fortnite Esports and Pros

The news came as no surprise to many Fortnite esports players who are struggling with the same issues. However, many in the Fortnite community were sad about the news given Zayt’s impact on the competitive scene.

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

After Zayts retirement announcement,  Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf tweeted that Epic needs to make drastic changes to the meta to avoid more retirements. He also hinted that it was only the beginning of these retirements. Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish even tweeted that the reduction of prize pools and the poor gameplay discourages many players.

The reduced Cash Cup prize pool does not necessarily translate into an increased pool for the Fortnite Champion Series. It leaves players to question exactly where the money is going. It is clear that Epic needs to make certain changes for competitive Fortnite to thrive or at least meet players halfway.

Zayt exits Fortnite’s competitive scene with over $1 million US dollars earned, four World Cup qualifiers and duos as well as a Duo FNCS Grand Finals Champion and ESL Katowice Duos winner, under the NRG esports banner. He now looks forward to making an impact in the community through content creation and coaching.

Written by Rashidat Jimoh

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