Twitch Streamer NightBlue3 Quits 'League of Legends'

Rabia "Nightblue3" Yazbek, one of League of Legends' oldest streamers, has quit the game. On Twitter, the LoL veteran released a statement saying he just doesn't get the "same satisfaction" from the game anymore and needs to take some time off. He's not quitting streaming, but he will no longer be playing the MOBA that made him famous. I'd imagine after playing the same game every day for eight years, you'd be crazy not to get sick of it.

In 2014, Nightblue3 was a pro player for Team SoloMid in the early days of esports. He gained a massive following online when he started streaming his games on Twitch. I remember watching Nightblue3 stream four years ago, teaching viewers and showing off his high-tier Challenger play. He showed me what a good jungler is supposed to do, what jungle pathings were optimal and how to play smart. His streams were a learning experience, he rarely flamed and explained why teammates made a wrong play. His Rengar is still legendary and has given PTSD to many high Diamond players over the past half-decade. Over the years, his popularity blossomed, pulling in over 20,000 viewers during the height of his Twitch superstardom.

But as Nightblue3 grew, so did his sour reputation. In January 2017, Nightblue3 reported Imaqtpie after a particularly stressful ranked game. The drama snowballed from there, with other streamers like IWillDominate sharing their opinions in video form. It all came to a dramatic conclusion when IWillDominate released a video showing NightBlue3 reporting his top laner, who just had a rough game, for feeding. Nightblue3's team got the video taken down, which caused a back and forth between the two internet personalities that was never truly settled. It was the sort of story the League subreddit eats up for a few days and then forgets all about.

I'm glad to see NightBlue3 take a step back from League of Legends. His disdain for the game was obvious to viewers, which may have been one of the factors in his stream's declining viewership. I haven't watched him stream in over two years; he's become either boastful or boring. I've moved onto one-trick pony Annie Bot for high-tier League commentary. This could be the exact push he needs to make good content and start teaching again. Or, he'll just end up streaming Fortnite full time to try and get on that battle royale bandwagon.

Either way, I know I'll be watching Nightblue3 soon.