Why Fortnite pros are quitting the game at an unprecedented rate

Mathijs "Matsoe" Matsoe is just one of the many Fortnite professionals quitting the game in Chapter 3 Season 1. According to him, the game did not feel the same, and he was not enjoying himself. He wrote:

"A lot of you guys probably already noticed that I have not been enjoying the past six months of playing Fortnite. I kept forcing myself to play events because I thought it would get better, but it didn't. This is why I decided I'm finally fully quitting."

Aside from Matsoe, other professional players such as Rocco "Saf" Morales have also quit, citing similar reasons. This has led the community to wonder, "Why exactly are professionals quitting the game at an unprecedented rate?"

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Why are professional players leaving Fortnite?

While many reasons could cause professionals to quit, the most common seems to be burnout. Rocco's farewell statement mentions that he's been grinding the game for the last three years. This has ultimately led to him having burnout. He wrote:

"The past 3 years of nonstop grinding finally did me in. I’m thankful for everything the game has done for me but I just can’t force myself to play any longer."

While this burnout can be attributed to constant gameplay, according to Matsoe, it has to do with the game not being any better. While this is debatable given the large volume of updates and fresh content, the problem has to be looked at differently.

While for casual players, a new map, loot-pool, and other changes may be welcoming, not everything that glitters is gold for a professional. Unfortunately, this sentiment is also shared by many community members.

Although Epic Games is no doubt pushing the boundaries of their imagination to keep everyone happy, at times, things don't work out. Despite promising more cash cups for 2022 and plenty of opportunities, it's just not enough.

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A personal perspective of the situation

Fortnite has been around since 2017. On September 27, 2022, the BR mode will turn five years old. While the game has indeed changed and evolved, its core remains the same. Eventually, players will get fed up with doing the same thing repeatedly. Rocco wrote:

"The past month I haven’t felt any urge in my body to launch Fortnite like before. So now I am going to be streaming Valorant actively and posting on all socials like crazy. I am taking a completely different route than with Fortnite and I want to challenge myself to see if I can succeed in another game."

Based on the farewell message, it's clear to see that the game is not bad - It's just that many "OG" players are tired of it. Irrespective of how many updates the developers push out, it will not be enough. Frankly, after a certain point of time, nothing will be enough.

Sadly, Epic Games can't do anything to change this sentiment. As the game ages, players will come and go. While this may be sad for fans, this is the inevitable truth for a Battle Royale game. Moving on is part and parcel of the game's lifecycle for players.

On a brighter note, things are looking up in the future with Fortnite Chapter 3 breaking the concurrent player count and servers. While "OGs" leaving is saddening, it allows the ecosystem to push newer content creators and professional players to the forefront.

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Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.