Scump announces that this season will be his last in the Call of Duty League cover image

Scump announces that this season will be his last in the Call of Duty League

One of the best Call of Duty players in history is calling it a day at the end of the season.

Another Call of Duty legend is stepping away from the game. Seth "Scump" Abner has announced that he will no longer compete in Call of Duty following the conclusion of the 2023 season. Abner made his announcement on YouTube.

Scump joins fellow veteran Ian "Crimsix" Porter in announcing his retirement. Unlike Porter, Scump is sticking around for one last dance. He will play through the first season of the two-year cycle of Modern Warfare 2 before taking a step back from competing.

The announcement of Scump's retirement came out of the blue. Nobody expected such a sudden announcement from the legend.

He, alongside James "Clayster" Eubanks will be the only two players in the 2023 Call of Duty League season to have contested in the first Call of Duty World Championship in 2012. His longevity has been frighteningly good with Scump putting in a ridiculous number of MVP performances over the course of his illustrious career.

"One last season is all I have got left in the tank"

Scump released a second video on Twitter. The 27-year-old gave more details as to why he is making the decision to step away from competing in Call of Duty. Vanguard was a mentally draining experience for everybody who played it competitively and it certainly took its toll on Abner.

That mental drain definitely contributed to Scump's decision to retire. He's still got enough to give the fans one more season, though.

"I'm not going to be completely gone from the Call of Duty space," Scump reassured. "I am not going to evaporate into thin air. I just think my time, my energy and my effort, one more season is pretty much all I've got left in the tank."

"That's in terms of my mental and all that stuff. I think I have one more good year to give to not only myself but my teammates and my coaching staff. Hopefully we can make this year one to remember.

"I'm giving it one more season. I want to thank all of you for supporting me through the highs and the lows. My family have also been very supportive."

Photo via OpTic.
Photo via OpTic.

Scump also confirmed that it doesn't matter what happens this season - even if the team wins Champs - he will be retiring.

"Indefinitely, it does not matter," Scump said. "We could win Champs and we could win every fucking tournament this year. It's time for me to move on.

"I've sacrificed a lot to be a competitive player. All of the things that I want to do, I've not had the time. It takes everything to be a competitor."

Scump wins titles

Scump has won everything there is to win in the Call of Duty World. From Major championships and MLG wins to World titles, the man has done it all. He has one of the weightiest and full legacies that there will be in esports, let alone just Call of Duty.

Scump even showed his versatility in 2021 when he won $100,000 during a single game of Warzone. He even took out the fantastic Aydan with the final kill.

With all that said though, the crowning achievement of Scump's decade-long career has to be his Call of Duty Champs win. He finally delivered OpTic the Championship that alluded them for so long in 2017.

He, alongside Matt "Formal" Piper, Damon "Karma" Barlow and Crimsix, took home the title in Infinite Warfare. It was an accomplishment that all four players really set aside as they best moments of their respective careers.

He also won an event as recently as last year during the Call of Duty: Vanguard season. His OpTic Texas side took home a chip at their home event at the start of the campaign. They took out arch-rivals the Atlanta FaZe in the Grand Finals.

What will this season be like for Scump?

This season will be the cherry on the top of Scump's career. The fact that everybody knows that it is Abner's last year competing will make every single one of his matches that little bit more impactful.

He will remain as part of the OpTic Texas team for the entire year. It will be interesting to see how much respect teams show to Abner knowing that each series he plays is one closer to his last. There would be nothing sweeter than to see Scump lift another World Championship at the end of the year.