100 Thieves Hiko Retires From Competitive VALORANT To Focus On Content
After solo-playing himself to royalty, the esteemed King of the Clutch is handing down his crown, as Spencer "Hiko" Martin has officially revealed his decade-long competitive esports career is over.
Known for being one of the best soloists in FPS history, with incredible intuition and game knowledge on both Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and VALORANT, Hiko has enjoyed an illustrious career alongside becoming a household name in the industry through his streaming side-hustle. However, all conquerers must rest at some point, and the lone ranger has now decided its time to step away from esports.
Hiko Announces Retirement
Since first stepping onto the scene with a third-place finish at ESWC 2021 with Area51 Gaming, Hiko has since moved from Counter-Strike to VALORANT to, most recently, spearhead a 100 Thieves roster alongside fellow veterans.
Having seen success in First Strike North America and placing in the top four at VCT Masters 3: Berlin, 100 Thieves have since seen their roster undertake many shuffles, and Hiko has now stepped away from the roster to announce his retirement.
Taking to social media, the 32-year-old veteran said, "Thank you for being a part of my 14-year journey. I cannot express how grateful I am for my fans, my Twitch community, and 100 Thieves. Love you all!"
What's Next For Hiko and 100 Thieves?
Following his departure from competitive esports, Hiko has now stepped into a content creation role at 100 Thieves, having received some words of support from 100 Thieves Founder and CEO, Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag.
"Hiko was one of the biggest shakers and movers when VALORANT came out in the streamers landscape. He had tens of thousands of people watching him every day. He was one of the best players in the world. He still had the passion and the drive after a decade of competing to dive back into the game and make a name for himself."
"When one chapter closes, this one opens. His personality just fits so well with the on-camera persona that our talent has, and this is a player-owned organisation and we're truly friends. He's going to be more successful than he ever has been before, in my opinion," continued Nadeshot.
For 100 Thieves' VALORANT roster, only Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk remains from their original pick-up, with Ethan "Ethan" Arnold being the only other full-time member of the roster.
Reports suggest that IGL Brenden "stellar" McGrath will be filling Hiko's boots from SoaR, whilst free agent William "Will" Cheng, and Rise player Derrek "Derrek" Ha will bolster the ranks.
Will anyone be able to fill the boots of Hiko, that's yet to be seen. But for now, happy retirement, clutch king.