Popular Fortnite streamer Tfue takes indefinite hiatus from streaming

Turner “Tfue” Tenney, popular Fornite streamer with more than 11 million Twitch subscribers and ex-Faze Clan member, announced that he was going to take a serious break from “gaming and streaming.” On a tearful YouTube video, the controversial streamer shared his exhaustion over the grind of content creation.

Tenney’s 40-minute video shares his initial impressions about Twitch Livestreams, YouTube videos and his first Twitch streams. Fortnite — A game he believed was only for kids. He also explains his reason for the hiatus, namely that he hasn’t had time for much of his life outside of gaming as a result of working six to eight hour days, and notes that he’s 25-years-old. “I used gaming to kind of escape from reality,” he said, in the YouTube video. “Now I use reality to escape from fucking work. I just feel fucking kinda trapped sometimes, you know.”

Tenney also mentions that he’s been a Twitch partner for eight years and thanks his fans, before acknowledging he needs to take a break. “I just need to take time off, you know,” he said. He thanks his family for supporting him through his “early career,” along with a number of livestreamers who he feels helped his career. At the end of the video he notes, “I’ll be back someday.”

Tenney, a famous livestreamer and content creator who has worked since 2014 at the latest, is one of those people. Fortnite — making a name as one of the top streamers of the battle royale game. In 2018, he joined Faze Clan, a content collective. He filed a suit in 2019 claiming that the group withheld branded revenue. Tenney was also in the news for his use of the N-word during a livestream. Minecraft. At the time, Twitch didn’t respond to The Verge’s request for comment, nor did it appear to comment on the situation. This wasn’t the first time Tenney used a racial slur — he used another slur on a livestream in 2018.

Even though it’s possible to live off of Twitch, becoming an affiliate is incredibly hard. The streamers who have the largest followings are still obligated to maintain a strict schedule. They must broadcast a full-time schedule and often even more to remain relevant. Tenney is also leaving at a time when high profile content creators are taking expensive deals to stream on other platforms, notably Kick — making it clear just how demanding livestreaming on Twitch can be.