Why TenZ just left Pro Valorant

If you ask any VALORANT player about the greatest pros of all time, Tyson “TenZ” Ngo will inevitably come up. The 23-year-old Canadian has had an incredible 4-year career and is considered one of the best VALORANT players in history.

Today, TenZ shocked the VALORANT community with the announcement that his competitive VALORANT career will end after the 2023-2024 Sentinels season – here's everything we know about the decision, how fans are reacting, and what's next for TenZ outside of the esports world.

On September 14, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. TenZ made a shocking announcement: The VALORANT star posted on Twitter his retirement from competitive VALORANT esports. TenZ captioned the tweet: “I'm grateful for this incredible journey and it's time to start a new one. Thank you for your support!”

In an attached six-minute video, TenZ explained his decision. Ngo says, “This was obviously not an easy decision for me,” and reveals that he had decided to retire earlier this year. He explained that he “did not want to leave [his] Career at a low point” and that the change was influenced by “how much of [his] Life is taken up by being a competitive player.” After announcing the move to his teammates, TenZ focused intensely on the 2024 VALORANT season, saying, “I just wanted to be the best teammate I could be and also bring the best player I could be.”“

TenZ went on to thank his teammates and fans for their support, including aspiring esports players who look up to him as a role model. He summed up his journey in the VALORANT esports world, saying:I never imagined I would get to this point in my life where I could say I could be successful, so it really meant a lot to me that people looked up to me and aspired to be someone like me.” The video ends with TenZ thanking his fans for joining him on his journey and expressing his gratitude for his opportunities to compete.

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TenZ’s tweet immediately caught the attention of the VALORANT world. As of September 14, 2024 at 5:30 p.m., it had over 243,000 views and 20,000 likes. Over 900 users responded to share their opinions.

TenZ’s content creator and fiancée Kydae tweeted: “I am so incredibly proud of you, Tyson! I can't wait to see what you do next.” TenZ's Sentinels teammate johnqt praised him as “the most talented player and above all the nicest person [he] had the pleasure of playing.”

The VALORANT esports community came out in droves to support TenZ's retirement. FNATIC pro Derke responded “Good luck for the future” and 100 Thieves player Asuna wrote this touching tweet: “I've been a fan for over 7 years and can't wait to see what you do.” Well-known VALORANT esports names, including crashies, Demon1, Boaster, Boostio, Jamppi, Subroza and benjifishy all expressed their continued support and enthusiasm for TenZ’s future endeavors.

TenZ has an impressive resume of VALORANT success in esports and content creation. TenZ won VALORANT Masters Madrid 2024 while under contract with Sentinels and also emerged victorious from VCT 2024: Americas Kickoff. The team later has reached the semifinals of VALORANT Champions 2024: SeoulHe also participated in VALORANT Champions 2021 with Sentinels.

As a content creator, TenZ has 4.1 million followers on Twitch and 2.27 million subscribers on YouTube. His X/Twitter account has amassed over 1.4 million followers. The esports star has also participated in business ventures and collaborated with brands such as Finalmouse.

Although TenZ will not be competing in upcoming VALORANT seasons, he is still planning new projects to keep fans entertained. TenZ has built a strong streaming presence and plans to focus on content creation in the coming years. In his announcement video, he states: he “can definitely do a lot more streams in general” in the future. Ngo plans to create more IRL content about daily life with Kydae and Q&A sessions.

Ngo's affinity for social media and content creation was a factor in his decision to retire. TenZ clarified: “I always wanted to be more of a content creator and Twitch streamer. I think professional gaming just came to me because I was grinding the game so much.”