Over the past few months, many large YouTubers have announced they are quitting or taking a break from YouTube. Namely Tom Scott, MeatCanyon, and most recently Matpat from The Game Theorists. Why are they all leaving now? Why, when they are still swimming in millions of views and have such an interactive and growing audience? My (And undoubtedly yours’s) first thought was that it had to be in connection with the recent Epstein Island case, however, I am just kidding.

The Reason Behind Youtubers Quitting

Tom Scott:

Tom Scott

To get to the root of this situation, we have to go to their origins. Let’s start with Tom Scott, boasting over 6 million subscribers, Scott produces and uploads weekly educational videos, something he was been doing for the past decade. However, on New Year’s, he announced he was going to take a break from uploading weekly on his channel. The reason was something of a constant in all the other ‘Goodbye videos’. He felt burnt out. Although being a content creator may be a dream for many, knowing that you have to upload on a strict schedule ruins your motivation and makes you feel like you have to upload instead of just wanting to. This is why Scott decided he would only upload if he found a good idea and stopped forcing himself to upload weekly.

New Year’s is a good time to make these announcements which is why so many Youtubers just happened to do one simultaneously. They probably feel pigeonholed into certain content that they’ve been making for years that the algorithm and their subscribers love. The weekly video grind is often too labor-intensive to have time to innovate. Finding new content goes hand in hand with scaling back video production. On top of that, December is the highest earning month for Youtubers because of the huge increase of ads that month for Christmas. Meanwhile, January is the lowest earning month because companies just spent a bunch of ads. Therefore any Youtuber who was thinking of quitting before that thought to wait it out till New Year’s.

Meat Canyon:

MeatCanyon – That one MrBeast episode

Case number 2, MeatCanyon, enjoying well over 6 million subscribers, faces the same predicament. According to his video, it seems like he’s just gotten tired of doing the same thing nonstop and wants to try other things. He’s still doing a podcast with Wendigoon for example. MeatCanyon feels like his animations aren’t to his liking, and animation takes time- especially with what he does. He realized he took it on more as a business than an art form, and he’s slowing down to reflect that- seemingly reducing the reactionary stuff he did to do something more in line with the body horror stuff he’s good at. He also mentions his second channel, Papa Meat, which he’s working more on, where he’s delivered an update to announce he’s increasing production value.

MatPat:

MatPat from The Game Theorists

Finally, in a poignant video, Matpat, renowned as one of YouTube’s gaming icons, emotionally revealed his retirement from hosting on his channel after a remarkable 13-year career. Passing the torch to his dedicated collaborators, he announced his transition to a behind-the-scenes role, focusing on overseeing the creative aspects of the channel. His reasons were once again similar to all the other cases, he felt burnt out.

The Youtubers That May Follow:

DantTDM and Pewdiepie

Upon his departure video, many other content creators commented on how they have been doing YouTube for most of their lives, including Jacksepticeye and MrBeast. So don’t be surprised if you hear about more YouTubers taking a break from YouTube.

In conclusion, the recent announcements of departure or breaks from prominent YouTubers such as Tom Scott, MeatCanyon, and Matpat can be traced back to a common thread of burnout. These content creators, despite their immense success and large followings, have expressed exhaustion from the demands of consistently producing content, adhering to tight schedules, and feeling creatively constrained. The decision to step back from the limelight, take breaks, or shift focus reflects a growing awareness of the toll that the content creation grind can take on mental health and creativity. As they confront burnout, these creators are opting for more authenticity, flexibility, and reflection, signaling a broader trend within the YouTube community where creators prioritize their well-being and creative fulfillment over the pressures of constant output.

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