UK CoD talent Zed retires from pro play: ‘This may be the scariest moment of my life’

English Call of Duty player Zach ‘Zed’ Denyer has announced his retirement from professional play.

The 23-year-old talent, who started out early on in his career with the likes of Excel Esports, before going on to play for a mix of teams including Unilad and Reciprocity, was most recently with the London Royal Ravens.

Zed joined the Ravens back in March before being subbed in late May.

He explained his decision to retire in a Twitlonger post:

Zed said: “I didn’t think i’d be writing this out so soon, but I will be retiring from competitive Call of Duty, it’s been a good six years and I’ve met some amazing people along the way. When i first set out to achieve this dream of mine not a single person believed in me. Walking into my parents room after I qualified for the Pro League for the first time and seeing their faces is something I’m never going to forget.

“I still feel like I’m good enough to compete in the league but unfortunately the odds are not in my favour this time, and personally I don’t think a player with my playstyle will gain much traction in Challengers, I do wish the best of luck to everyone fighting to make it, it’s harder than most people think.”

Zed will now be streaming full-time and said he’s also thought about coaching. He admitted this may be the scariest moment of his life.

“To be honest with you all, this may be the scariest moment of my life,” he added. “All I’ve ever known since I was 17 is Call of Duty. I gave up everything else to be here, I don’t know anything else.”

The Call of Duty scene wished Zed well, and sent a lot of supportive messages to him following his announcement.

Excel Esports co-founder and chief gaming officer, Kieran Holmes-Darby, who worked with Zed at Excel years ago, said: “This is sad to read but excited to see what you do next, big love.”

Los Angeles Guerrillas player Apathy added: “Best of luck Zed! You’re a beast and I’m sure you’ll be able to transfer that to anywhere you go.”

Further reading: Looking ahead to Call of Duty Champs, CoD: Vanguard, and the implications of CoD’s yearly release cycle for its esports scene

Dom is an award-winning writer who graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.

As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV as well as Riot Games and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Association up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and as an esports consultant helping brands and businesses better understand the industry.

Source: https://esports-news.co.uk/2021/09/03/uk-cod-talent-zed-retires-from-pro-play/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uk-cod-talent-zed-retires-from-pro-play