The popular Twitch streamer Mitch Jones has officially retired from his career: Despite huge success as a WoW professional, musician and entertainer, the streaming star is now turning its back on its almost 600,000 followers.
But instead of disappointment, his supporters and colleagues react with a lot of understanding – because the reasons for his departure are easy to understand for most of them.
That’s why Mitch Jones stops
Mitch Jones was active on Twitch for almost ten years. He achieved great popularity with his streams to World of Warcraft, in which he embodied the magician “Watchmeblink” and was able to make a name for himself as a high-class player.
At first glance, everything was going well for him: Since the release of WoW Shadowlands, his stream has been more successful than ever and the audience numbers were at an all-time high.
However, Mitch had struggled with his mental health for quite some time: In his last stream on April 21, 2021, the streamer seemed extremely emotional.
He talked about no longer seeing any meaning in life and mourned the death of his former best friend Byron “Reckful” Bernstein, who suddenly passed away last summer.
A short time later he published a touching farewell video:
Link to YouTube content
“Live streaming has been very good for me and I’ve met a lot of cool people and a lot of good things have happened to me, but for some reason my heart just isn’t there anymore. (…)
I’ve really had some magical moments as a streamer and those days are over. Every day I move on just feels like I’m trying to relive something that I’ve already peaked. When I lived with Byron (Reckful) and brother Toe (Toez) we just chilled every day, Pokémon GO, all of that was so good. And those were some of the best memories of my life.
But I’ve been streaming for 10 years and it just reminds me of times in the past. Every time I go live I am reminded of everything. I have a hard time just sitting there and reliving these permanent memories of my past and the friends I will never see again. ”
Emotional farewell to Twitch and Reckful
At the beginning of the week, Mitch Jones published a new song on his YouTube channel, which is dedic ated to his old companion. In the chorus of the song it says:
“Yes, my friend Byron is a legend. And now that he’s gone, I can’t forget him.”
Link to YouTube content
Reckful’s death hit Mitch Jones particularly hard: After the two had previously been best friends, they fell out in 2016 and have not been able to reconcile since then. In his song he wishes to be back in the past:
“I wish I was back in 2015 when our lives were so simple and everything felt so meaningful. There isn’t much to say. I miss you every day and I’m lost without you.”
According to streamer Mizkif, where Jones currently lives (and on whose balcony parts of the video were filmed), he should now feel much better:
“Mitch said he’s been doing a lot better since he released the song. (…) It’s like a load off his heart now that it’s out. Because he really worried a lot. He thinks Byron all the time, he talks about Byron all the time.
I know it hurt him a lot and it’s one reason he doesn’t stream anymore: it just doesn’t feel the way it used to without him. ”
What’s next for Mitch Jones?
In his farewell video, the streamer talked about looking for a new meaning in life. He named a career as a musician as a possible new direction:
“I want to try to possibly make music. I’m not sure how it will work out. I could fail, but that’s part of life. Sometimes you just have to act on a whim.”
However, his fans can also hope for an occasional return to streaming: The days of lucrative full-time streaming should definitely be over, but he can imagine returning for a short time for the release of a new World of Warcraft add-on.
Important note: If you yourself have depression or self-destructive thoughts: You are not alone. Please get some help. For example at the telephone counseling on 0800/111 0 111 or at free advice centers.
