Martin “Cheen” Chino has officially announced on Friday he’s stepping away from professional Call of Duty to pursue Warzone as a streamer. In a Twitter video uploaded earlier today, Cheen cited a lack of offers from Call of Duty League franchises as the reason for the decision. He stated that he doesn’t want to take this path but it’s the hand he’s been dealt.
Cheen has been a professional Call of Duty player for nearly a decade. He began officially competing in Black Ops 2 after tearing up the online Search and Destroy scene in games like Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops. He recently played under the LA Guerrillas franchise as a starter and substitute on the LAG Academy team. However, the franchise let him and the rest of the players go earlier this year to sign an entirely new, star-studded roster for the 2022 season.
Cheen to focus on Warzone streaming this year
Update on what my plans are for this year. pic.twitter.com/BNr1jl1iV1
— Cheen (@MJCheen) October 29, 2021
In his announcement video, Cheen didn’t specifically say the word “retire.” He simply said that because he received no starting or substitute offers from CDL teams, he’s following the Warzone route that other players have taken. He also said that “other team offers” weren’t looking good for him.
“With what’s going on in my competitive life right now, I feel like maybe this would be the best time to pursue Warzone,” Cheen said in the video. “I think that’s going to be my route this year. If any teams are interested, I’d love to talk.”
Though Cheen seems open to a return to competing in the future if an offer presents itself but for this year, at least he seems gung-ho on pursuing a career in Warzone. Other players, such as former LAG teammate Brian “Apathy” Zhelyazkov have taken a similar route after not receiving offers for 2022. Apathy found success on this path, eventually signing back with LAG as a Warzone content creator.
For fans who want to check out Cheen’s future streams, they can do so at Twitch.Tv/MJCheen.
