After an impressive 16-year career in professional Call of Duty, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has officially announced his retirement.
Some fans were hoping to see Clayster return for another season in the Call of Duty League, especially with the upcoming Black Ops 6. However, he confirmed that he would no longer be competing. “I’ll never be able to fully express my gratitude, but from the bottom of my heart,” Clayster said, “Thank you to everyone who made a career in pro CoD possible.”
Clayster retires as one of the most accomplished Call of Duty players of all time, with three world championship titles—tying Crimsix and Karma for the top spot. Additionally, he boasts an X Games Gold medal and 20 major tournament victories, making him one of North America’s most successful players.
Despite his achievements, Clayster’s journey to the top was far from guaranteed, as he explained in his retirement announcement. His breakthrough came in 2013 with Black Ops 2 while playing for CompLexity, a team that went on to become the first dynasty in Call of Duty history. Clayster was a crucial part of the early phase of this legendary run.
In 2015, he clinched his first world championship with Denial, followed by back-to-back victories with eUnited and Dallas Empire in 2019 and 2020.
The last few seasons of the Call of Duty League didn’t unfold as Clayster had hoped, as he found himself moving between various teams and even spent a season in Challengers. He acknowledged that his recent performances were below his expectations, although there were still flashes of his peak form on the main stage.
His retirement signifies the end of a significant era in Call of Duty history, with the top eight highest-earning players now all having stepped away. “I’m grateful for the career I’ve had,” Clayster said. “Having such an amazing fan base is a dream come true for a small-town kid from Virginia.”
While competing in the upcoming season was an option, Clayster shared his reasons for retiring.”I really wanted to play this year,” he said. “It’s disappointing that I won’t be channeling my positive energy into another season, but there are other opportunities out there for me.”
Though Clayster hasn’t revealed his next steps, he mentioned that more details about his future plans will be shared in the coming weeks.
