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Why TenZ Just Left Pro Valorant

VALORANT esports legend TenZ has announced his retirement — here's what we know.

Gabby DeSena

TenZ has announced his retirement from competitive VALORANT.
TenZ has announced his retirement from competitive VALORANT. / Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

Ask any VALORANT player to name the greatest pros of all time, and Tyson "TenZ" Ngo's name will inevitably arise. The 23-year-old Canadian has experienced an incredible 4-year career and is regarded as one of the best VALORANT players in history.

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

TenZ is Retiring from VALORANT

At 5:00 P.M. September 14, 2024, TenZ made a shocking announcement: the VALORANT star posted on Twitter to reveal 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 choice. Ngo states, "obviously this wasn't an easy decision for me to make" and discloses that he had decided to retire at the beginning of the year. He elaborated that he "didn't want to leave [his] career at kind of a low point" and that the move was influenced by "how much of [his] life gets taken up by being a competitive player". After revealing the move to his teammates, TenZ focused intensely on the 2024 VALORANT season, saying "I just wanted to be the best teammate that I could be and also bring the best player that I could be."

TenZ continued by thanking his teammates and fans for their support, including aspiring esports athletes who see him as a role model. He recapped his journey to the VALORANT esports world, saying "I never would have imagined that it would have come to this point of my life where I would say, that I was able to become successful, so it just really meant a lot to me that people looked up to me, and aspire to be someone like me." The video closes with TenZ thanking fans for following him through his journey and expressing his gratitude for his competitive opportunities.

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The VALORANT Community's Reaction

TenZ's tweet immediately caught the VALORANT world's attention. As of 5:30 P.M. on September 14, 2024, it has accrued over 243,000 views and 20,000 likes. Over 900 users have replied to express their thoughts.

Content creator and TenZ' fiancee Kydae tweeted, "So incredibly proud of you Tyson! Excited to see what you do next." TenZ's Sentinels teammate johnqt praised him as "the most talented player and above all the kindest person [he] had the pleasure to play with."


The VALORANT esports community showed up in droves to support TenZ's retirement. FNATIC pro Derke replied "Best of luck going forward," and 100 Thieves player Asuna penned this touching tweet: "Been a fan for over 7 years and can't wait to see what you do." Household VALORANT esports names including crashies, Demon1, Boaster, Boostio, Jamppi, Subroza and benjifishy all expressed their continued support and excitement for TenZ's future endeavors.

TenZ' VALORANT Accomplishments

TenZ has an impressive resume with VALORANT accomplishments in esports and content creation. TenZ won VALORANT Masters Madrid 2024 while signed to Sentinels and also emerged victorious from the VCT 2024: Americas Kickoff. The team later advanced to the Semifinals of VALORANT Champions 2024: Seoul. In addition, he competed with Sentinels in VALORANT Champions 2021.

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

What's Next for TenZ?

While TenZ won't compete in upcoming VALORANT seasons, he still planning new projects to entertain fans. TenZ has built a robust streaming presence and plans to focus on content creation in upcoming years. In his announcement video, he notes that he "can definitely do a lot more streams in general" in the future. Ngo plans to create more IRL content featuring daily life with Kydae and Q&A sessions.

Ngo's affinity for social media and content creation factored into his retirement decision. TenZ clarified, "I've always kind of wanted to be more of a content creator and a Twitch streamer. I think professional play just kind of came at me because I grinded the game so much."

Published
Gabby DeSena

GABBY DESENA

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