Popular YouTube channel The Game Theorists will soon see its popular creator MatPat stepping back from uploading videos, and viewers are treating the news like the end of an era for the platform.
The channel, which has accrued over 18 million subscribers in 13 years, has had an undeniable impact on gaming culture as a whole. Nowadays, gaming theory videos that make sense of complicated storylines are a staple on the platform, especially for inscrutable games like Elden Ring. While not exclusive to the channel, The Game Theorists brought that speculative, well-researched content to the masses.
The channel's earnest approach to discussing lore minutia allowed games like Five Night's at Freddy's to become sensations, ultimately allowing players to participate in the fandom without having to endure endless jump scares. That, and MatPat is the only person on earth who can say that he tried getting the Pope to play Undertale.
MatPat will continue hosting videos up until March 9, 2024, he announced in an emotional video on Tuesday, at which point he'll hand the channel off to four other creators who have previously appeared on the channel. Until then, the channel will provide weekly going away theories to help viewers celebrate the Game Theorists legacy. While that means we still have a few months of MatPat content left, fans are reacting to the news with heartfelt emotion.
"Thank you MatPat for raising many of us," wrote YouTube viewer raisya495 in the comments of the announcement video.
"Respect to the man that made us all think about what’s happening under the surface of every game or show we’ve seen," wrote YouTube commenter nathansmith1809.
While fans are sad to see MatPat go, they're empathetic with his reasoning: he's spent the last 13 years barely sleeping, he says, in order to keep up with YouTube's demanding pace. Now that he has a child, and after dedicating so much of his life on the platoform, he says that he wants to leave on a high note rather than watching his relevance fade away. Plus, he adds, gaming theorist is a mindset that won't die with his departure.
"I'm happy that there are folks who are showing how to hand beloved projects to other folks," Game Theorist fan Sam Harris told IGN over Twitter.
On social media, there's been an outpouring of support for MatPat's announcement from fans and game developers alike, with many sharing some of their favorite clips from the channel.
@MatPatGT Thanks for the theories, MatPat. pic.twitter.com/0Yq3Y0RTUW
— tobyfox (@tobyfox) January 10, 2024
Since Matpat is retiring I want to repost one of the greatest clips from him I've seen. Nobody else could do it like this pic.twitter.com/y04d8fCNo5
— Unorthodox (Zaza Waybright) Individual ? (@Le_Unorthodox) January 9, 2024
Matpat, you have moved us. pic.twitter.com/w0l4Ta6736
— craazy (@craazyfrr) January 9, 2024
In just the two days that MatPat's video announcement has been up, it's already garnered 12.8 million views. As of press time, it's currently #1 trending on YouTube.
Part of the hubhub isn't just MatPat's retirement, but rather its timing. The news has come out alongside other big platform goodbyes, like that of YouTuber Tom Scott. The apparent exodus has left other notable YouTubers thinking out loud about how long they've spent on the platform. As creators like PewDiePie have shown, many YouTubers blew up on the platform while they were young - and now, as adults, they're reconsidering their priorities.
Most of all, though, fans are sad that they won't hear MatPat's signature "but that's just a theory" video sendoff anymore.
