Esports legend Seth “Scump” Abner wishes he’d left Call of Duty sooner – to cash in on Fortnite.
Despite his incredible success in Call of Duty, Scump now wishes he’d jumped on Fortnite’s wild popularity in the late 2010s.
Scump, known as the “King of CoD,” had an epic career. From winning gold at the Major League Gaming X Games to taking the 2017 Call of Duty World Championship with OpTic Gaming, he defined esports for over a decade.
But as Fortnite skyrocketed, drawing millions and bringing players like Ninja massive fame and riches, Scump stuck with Call of Duty.
“Looking back, do I regret not retiring earlier and playing Fortnite? Absolutely,” Scump confessed on the Around the Bar Podcast.
“You win champs and then you just set sail,” he reflected, imagining a different path.
Looking back, Scump admitted he’s “almost 30” and now questions whether he should’ve joined Fortnite’s success.
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Many gamers, like Ninja, saw Fortnite as a golden ticket, becoming huge stars and mainstream icons. Scump now envies that timing. “Everyone ate. Everyone ate,” he recalled, referring to the financial boom Fortnite created for content creators.
Meanwhile, Scump continued to grind away in Call of Duty, staying loyal to the game that made him famous.
“I love competing more than anything,” he admitted, “but that was one thing I always regret.”
Even with a list of honors most can only dream of, Scump seems haunted by the missed Fortnite opportunity.
Today, he’s a full-time content creator and streamer on YouTube, and you can catch him unlocking master prestige in Black Ops 6 in his latest video. He even got a tattoo of OpTic Gaming in October. So even if he regrets not joining the Fortnite train, it’s clear where his loyalties lie.
As one of Call of Duty’s biggest stars, Scump’s career remains monumental. But, he’ll always wonder if he could’ve been a Fortnite superstar too.
