Hearthstone pro William “Amnesiac” Barton has announced that he’s retiring from professional play, and stepping away from the game for awhile.
Amnesiac was one of the youngest Hearthstone players to compete at the highest levels of the game, but now it seems he’s ready to move on to other things.
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The news came just before the new year on December 30, 2019 in a Tweet from the now-former pro with a TwitLonger explaining his reasons.
“It’s really hard to walk away from what has been the most important thing in my life for the past five years,” he wrote. “Esports has, without exaggeration, given me once in a lifetime opportunities and experiences.”
He said he intended to make a “clean break” with Hearthstone, and move on from the game completely.
https://twitter.com/Amnesiac_HS/status/1211676924415750145?s=20
“Over the past year I’ve lost the fire I once had for competing in Hearthstone. Still, it was a hell of a run,” he explained. “Rather than dwindling into nothingness, I want to move on, on my own terms, which means a clean break.”
“I will not be participating in the next season of Grandmasters, and you will not see me playing or streaming Hearthstone going forward,” Amnesiac revealed. “It’s scary to shelf such a significant part of my life indefinitely. But it’s also exciting.”
Amnesiac also parted ways with his esports org Tempo Storm at the beginning of December but announced he was still looking for a team as a free agent.
“For so many years, competing in Hearthstone has given me purpose,” he wrapped up. “I can’t wait to find the next thing in my life that gives me that same purpose.”
Whether that purpose is another esport or something else entirely remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt Amnesiac made his mark on Hearthstone during his time as a pro.