Venerable FPS legend Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek has argued Call of Duty streamers are ‘wasting their talent’ by staying loyal to Activision’s FPS franchise.
When it comes to leaving a legacy in the FPS genre, few stand atop the mountain quite like shroud. From his accomplishments as a pro Counter-Strike player to his popularity in retirement as a full-time streamer, the FPS veteran has gone from strength to strength.
Looking to impart some wisdom upon the release of Modern Warfare 3 (the second one), shroud had some words for the CoD scene’s top streamers. Arguing the juggernaut franchise does little to accommodate its most competitive players, he explained why he’s ‘saddened’ by those who continue to grind regardless.
Especially on the Battle Royale side with Warzone, shroud claimed “anyone” still pushing to compete in the space is simply ‘wasting’ their time.
“I hate… not hate, hate’s a strong word… I dislike that HusKerrs wastes his talent on CoD,” shroud said during his November 2 Twitch streamer. “It’s such a bummer, because he’s such a skilled gamer.”
While HusKerrs has certainly done alright for himself, currently sat as the fifth highest-earning Warzone player with over $300,000 in total prize winnings, shroud believes the grass would be greener for HusKerrs in virtually any other FPS scene for a player with his skills.
Honestly, anyone that wastes their talent on CoD makes me sad,” he continued.
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“It’s probably the same feeling when people watch me play World of Warcraft. They go ‘Wow, why is he playing World of Warcraft?’ It’s my same feeling when I see really skilled players playing CoD.”
On the more casual side, for streamers simply playing to make content and dominate lobbies, shroud admitted “that makes sense.” However, for those seeking to scratch their competitive itch, doing so in CoD leaves him perplexed.
“I mean the people who are competing, the people hunting for that competitive grind, that confuses me. If you’re playing for content or just to roll people, that makes sense. But if you’re playing for that competitive grind, you can play any other game.
“I’d say play Halo instead to be honest. More games with a real competitive scene, Valorant, Counter-Strike, Apex.”
So even with the release of Modern Warfare 3, and the looming changes to Warzone with its new map and the return of advanced movement systems, shroud doesn’t appear hopeful for the scene’s competitive viability moving forward. For his money, he’d rather see top CoD competitors take their talents elsewhere.