In First Retirement Interview, MatPat Reflects on 13 Years of YouTube, One Last Game Theory and the ‘Dawn of a New Era’

variety.com:

YouTube, Game Theorist creator Matthew Patrick, better known as MatPat, walked down into his basement where he’s edited and uploaded nearly 3,000 videos on his various YouTube channels throughout his 13-year career.

The room was utterly dark, with the only light coming from a dimly lit blue computer screen tucked away in the corner. Unable to move and standing in the room — struck by the realization that he’d never interact with that space in the same way again — MatPat says he felt a feeling of “catharsis,” being both overwhelmed with gratitude for all the people who’d contributed to his channels’ success and a recognition that his relationship to those people was transitioning. “That’s the last time I’m saying, ‘but hey… that’s just a theory,'” he recalls. “This is my last time in the recording booth doing voiceovers; this is the last time I’m standing in front of a green screen doing shorts, and bit by bit, you say goodbye to the different pieces of yourself as you unwind yourself from them.” MatPat’s retirement as host of the Game Theorists channel, which has over 19 million subscribers and produces analytical and entertaining content exploring the science, history and theories behind video games and popular culture, would officially come on Saturday, March 9, with the upload of a video titled “MatPat’s Final Theory,” which, as of Thursday, surpassed 9 million views.

MatPat’s farewell video marked the conclusion of nine final theory videos, following his announcement to retire in January. The news of his departure, after nearly 15 years in the limelight, garnered widespread attention, with his retirement announcement video accumulating 19 million views.