Last week the news broke that Benjyfishy was retiring from pro Fortnite. Instead, the player is going to be switching over to Valorant. This didn’t come as a huge surprise to everyone, the player has been streaming Valorant almost daily for a while now! However, Benjy retiring from Fortnite means the game is losing one of its most recognizable pros!
He’s not the first player to jump out of the game lately either. Is this the start of a turnover for Fortnite esports or just a general wear and tear resignation?
Benjyfishy Retiring from Fortnite
For a while, Benjyfishy has been sitting in the top tier of players in Europe for Fortnite. He might not be the best Fortnite player, but he’s been on the top tier on and off. The player has sadly never quite grabbed that FNCS champion title, but he’s come close plenty of times. He’s also placed well at the World Cup. The player has often been known for high mechanical skill. This might make him perfect to transition into competitive Valorant instead.
Benjyfishy has been streaming Valorant pretty regularly lately. While he hasn’t been grinding as much as some do for Fortnite, it’s clear his interest in the game went beyond just variety content for his stream. Benjyfishy retiring from Fortnite probably isn’t the biggest surprise then. The player will be leaving one game to try and compete at Valorant in the future.
Talking about his retirement, Benjyfishy said:
“Recently I fell out of love with Fortnite, I used to be able to play it for eight or ten hours a day, but even last season I was only playing during tournaments. I’ve been playing a ton of Valorant recently, on and off stream, it’s genuinely the most fun I’ve ever had gaming probably since the Fortnite World Cup or playing trios with Mitro and Mongraal.”
It’s clear he’s having more fun with Valorant, but can he successfully transition to a new game as a pro?
Can Fortnite Players Move to Valorant?
Games like Valorant might be thought of as a lot less casual than Fortnite. However, high-level Fortnite fosters a lot of mechanical skill. The grind necessary to really get high-level building mechanics go beyond what a lot of games expect. Many Fortnite players have found success in other titles off the back of this. BenjyFishy retiring from Fortnite leaves him free to grind at a game like Valorant.
Since he was one of the mechanically best players in the game for a while, Benjy is in a good position to make a start at Valorant. The skills might not translate 100%, but the sheer mechanical skill from playing Fortnite at this level will help Benjy at any game he’s moving to. He stands a good chance of ending up playing some pretty high-level Valorant, and we’re sure he’ll pop in a roster at some point soon.
One good example of a Fortnite pro using their skills in other games in Jojopyun. He was a Fortnite pro who left the game, and has had great success in League since. LoL isn’t even a shooter, but his time in Fortnite set him up for this run in League. In that game, he’s won a recent LCS 2022 Spring Playoff.
Fortnite players might not have skills that translate as rapidly as Overwatch to Valorant. However, they are definitely primed to enter other games with a lot of success if they apply the same grinding. BenjyFishy retiring from Fortnite has the potential to lead to Valorant gaining a pretty skilled player.
Does Fortnite Have a Problem Retaining Pro Players?
Benjyfishy retiring from Fortnite is a loss to the game, but he’s far from the first player to leave lately. Chapter 3 has seen quite a few pros depart from the title. Most notably was Saf.
Saf’s reasons for quitting were a bit different from BenjyFishy retiring from Fortnite. He quoted problems with orgs leading him to become disillusioned with the game in general. However, he also quit at the start of a new chapter, which would have required a lot of grinding and adaption. Zayt also retired just towards the end of last year. Matsoe also left the game due to burnout. Fortnite needs playing to be grinding in creative and matches pretty regularly to stay on the top of the pile. Even with the game’s impressive prize pools this is going to take its toll on players.
Chapter 3 of Fortnite has been pretty successful in wider gaming. While some pro players seem to be drifting away, the game has brought back major streamers like Ninja and Tfue. This would seem to mean that the problem isn’t entirely with how Epic is updating the game. Players in all modes seem happy with Epic’s content. Players leaving seem to have more to do with burnout and the way Fortnite players have to grind.
Fortnite has one of the most open esports scenes, making it simple for players to try their hands at pro games. On top of this, their regular prize pools are some of the biggest in esports. This makes it easy for new players to come in as old go. Each new FNCS sees new players jumping up to the highest level. Even if some of the old guard is becoming burnt out on Fortnite, the game always has a supply of skilled new players to step in.
About Post Author
