On Tuesday, January 9, Matthew Patrick, better known as MatPat, a staple of the YouTube gaming scene, announced his retirement from hosting his signature Theory videos, including the flagship Game Theory channel. If you’re a gamer that’s been around on the internet long enough, chances are you have felt the ripple effect of his influence on not just YouTube, but gaming culture as a whole. Known for his Five Nights at Freddy’s videos in which he dissected the indie horror series, the YouTube star revealed his plan to retire following his final theory video on March 9, 2024.
Over the past 12 years, MatPat’s flagship channel, The Game Theorists, has amassed over 18 million subscribers and nearly 4 billion views. Across all five of his Theory channels, including Film Theory and GTLive, MatPat’s following consists of almost 42 million subscribers, cementing his place as a great among the YouTube community.
In a tearful video, MatPat explained the reasons for his retirement, citing a desire to not be “work first” for the first time in over a decade and to spend more time with family, stating,
I miss the days where I could sit down on the couch with her and play video games and it’s not for content.
MatPat added that other factors contributing to his decision included the changing landscape of the internet and growing older. He also mentioned wanting to “go out on a high note,” and retire after the most successful and eventful year for him and all of the Theory channels. The adoption of his signature quote, “that’s just a theory,” MatPat explained, into the YouTube lexicon, helped him realize that the time was right to retire from YouTube.
With its host’s uncanny ability to spin a winding thread from where others may see nothing, Game Theory provided an outlet for young fans to explore their beloved fictional worlds in even greater depth than what would’ve been possible through natural means. MatPat’s videos have undeniably shaped the YouTube landscape and inspired thousands of creators to make similar theory videos, now a staple of both gaming YouTube and the platform at large.
MatPat announced that following his retirement, he would continue to work behind the scenes on the Theory channels, but the primary hosting roles and responsibilities would be reassigned to various team members. Regardless of the accuracy of the titular “theories”, which sometimes tended to spin out of control, his charismatic and lovable persona is ultimately what fans hooked onto and kept them coming for more. In fact, some may argue that MatPat’s tendency to dive unreasonably deep into gaming conspiracy theories, while still maintaining awareness of the absurdity of it all, is what made Game Theory so great.
Other well-known gaming creators, such as Quackity, Jacksepticeye and Tommyinnit, commented on the news, congratulating MatPat on his illustrious career and impact on the community, as well as expressing sadness towards his retirement.