Matthew Robert Patrick – known to Game Theory fans as MatPat – has announced that he will be stepping away from the Game Theory YouTube channel come March 2024. Read on to learn more about the situation and MatPat's legacy in the industry.
Game Theory Host and Creator MatPat to Step Away from Channel
Chalks Departure Down to Personal Reasons and Platform Changes
In a sit-down-style farewell video that’s equal parts comedic and tear-jerking, content creator and long-time channel host Matthew Robert Patrick – known by many as MatPat – announced that he will be stepping away from the famous YouTube channel "The Game Theorists" on March 09, 2024.
MatPat cited many reasons for his permanent departure from the channel and community he spearheaded for well over a decade, but chief among them was his back-breaking schedule and desire to spend more time with his friends and family – as is often the case for big YouTube personalities.
"We knew that we couldn’t do this forever," said MatPat. "We knew that, honestly, we didn’t want to do this forever. For as much as I love you and I love overthinking things and I love theorizing, I don’t love late nights. I don’t love the fact that [my wife] Steph and I have been work first for over a decade. Where I’m sitting down having dinner with my best friend and we’re talking about business logistics or we’re talking about animatronic toes."
MatPat also cited big changes in YouTube as a platform and in his life as other reasons for his departure. "I mentioned [my son] Ollie before and he’s the coolest little dude," elaborated MatPat. "He’s getting older by the minute. I watch him and he’s so much fun, and he’s so much smarter than I was when I was his age. He also knows FNAF lore better than I do. But honestly, I wanna be able to spend more time with him."
Other reasons fell into place as MatPat continued with the video. His age, for one thing, was another factor he considered. For another, he wanted to step away from the YouTube scene on a high note, mulling over the fact that the alternative is to continue slaving away as his presence and relevance on the platform inevitably faded over time.
All these reasons coalesced into this announcement video, which, according to MatPat himself, he "knew would be coming for the last three years." MatPat elaborated on that thought, saying, "We weren’t sure it was necessarily gonna be today. We didn’t know exactly when it would fall, but we knew it was gonna happen eventually."
The Final Countdown Begins for MatPat’s Departure
The announcement of MatPat’s departure made waves on YouTube, as he, his channel, and the community it fostered were all synonymous with the notion of overthinking video game lore and logic. For the past decade, his consistent schedule and daring attitude made him THE game theorist, to the point that his ubiquitous catchphrase became a platform-wide meme that other content creators were keen to reference.
This isn’t the end, however, as the channels will continue without MatPat. A farewell countdown celebration of sorts will also be held in the time between the announcement and his final farewell on March 09, 2024.
"Over the next ten weeks, we’re gonna have a bunch of theories," MatPat promised. "[They’re] gonna be a lot of fun. [We’ll be] revisiting old favorites, getting some closure on things, seeing some familiar faces; a lot of awesome stuff."
"I have nine theories left on each of the channels," MatPat continued. "We’re gonna call them MatPat’s Final Ten because that just sounds better. At which point then, on March 9th, we’re gonna have that big going away celebration – MatPat’s Final Theory – then I just dust away. I stand astride my Music Man, then Whip and Nae Nae off into the distance."
It’s always sad to see a public icon finally step away from the limelight, especially after positively affecting so many lives for such a long time. But, as MatPat put it, Game Theory is a show, a format, and his departure would only be a chapter in its continuation, not its end.
The Legacy of MatPat and The Game Theorists
Game theory – or as the channel is officially known, "The Game Theorists" – has been a staple to many people’s YouTube feeds for over a decade now, delivering intriguing video game discourse to the eager minds of like-minded theorists across the globe. While there’s no doubt that people will miss MatPat in the years to come, Game Theory will continue to thrive in his absence.
"That’s why, over the last couple of years, we’ve been staffing so much," MatPat replied on the topic of his future-proofing of the channel. "That’s why we partnered with a larger company to help run the channels, that’s why we’ve been spending so much time outside of this box, training up the team to make the best videos that they can."
And train up their team, they did. MatPat went on to explain who will be replacing him as the main host of the channel and its videos. He explained that this has been a long time coming and that, despite him having the final say in every script, he no longer writes everything himself. He said writers will be given a chance to step up for each of the channels making up The Game Theorists.
"Each of the four of them comes to us from a completely different angle," MatPat explained. He went on to describe each of the new hosts for each channel in great detail. In a nutshell, the following members of the Game Theory team will be taking over hosting for each facet of The Game Theorists group of channels: Forrest Lee Collins for Film Theory, Amy Roberts for Style Theory, Santiago "Santi" Massa for Food Theory, and Tom Robinson for Game Theory.
A Gamer’s Farewell to MatPat the Original Game Theorist
Game Theory has been a pillar of the greater YouTube community for a while now. What started as a passion project made by a video game geek who overthought certain lore points eventually exploded into a multi-faceted entertainment juggernaut that’s captured the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere.
It brought about as much discourse as it did controversy (as with the "Sans is Ness" theory), but the important part about its existence is that it allowed gamers to form another community separate from their respective gaming circles. It brought gamers together to discuss, overthink, and question all things video games—a feat that’s not unique, but certainly admirable.
Game Theory will never be the same without the person who birthed it, but MatPat will always be remembered as THE theorist…the Game Theorist!
