FormaL Opens Up on CoD Return Rumors as Retirement Talks Ramp Up

Halo star and former Call of Duty world champion Matthew “FormaL” Piper has spoken out on his future as his playing career hangs in the balance, and addressed the possibility of a return to CoD next season.

FormaL was part of a small wave of pro players that switched from Halo to Call of Duty in 2013, and part of an even smaller group that actually saw success in doing so.

It didn’t take long for FormaL to establish himself as an elite Assault Rifle player in CoD, before becoming recognized, even to this day, as one of the best ARs to ever play the game, winning 23 major championships and a coveted world championship in 2017.

OpTic FormaL speaking in YouTube video
FormaL is one of the all-time greats of FPS esports. Image Credit: YouTube/OpTic Gaming

FormaL officially switched back to competing in Halo in 2022, leaving OpTic’s Call of Duty team to head up their Halo roster, once again winning multiple championships and a world championship.

With the news that Halo would not be hosting any more esports events in 2026, there has been a number of Halo pros considering attempting to switch over to CoD once again – and FormaL’s name has been thrown about a lot.

FormaL “Doesn’t Really” Want Call of Duty League Return

While he has never really ruled out a return, and even now won’t say it with 100% certainty, he has opened up on the possibility of coming back in a conversation with OpTic CEO Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez, and it’s not good news for fans of the multi-title champion.

“Truthfully I’m coming to terms with… this is probably my last event,” he said, speaking of the upcoming Halo Worlds 2025. “Whether that means I can flip a switch and not be competitive anymore, that’s probably not true.

“But do I want to be in CoD? Not really. I don’t want to go start at 31 [years old] and tarnish any legacy that I had there.”

Timestamp 10:45

FormaL Officially Retiring from Esports?

FormaL shared that this is “probably his last event” in a very non-committal answer, but H3CZ did ask whether he could see himself trying to become a tri-game champion, for example, by switching to Apex Legends.

FormaL said: “It’s just a big ‘what if’. Who knows? I could wake up tomorrow and go ‘I kind of want to f**king do this, I’m bored as sh*t.’

“I’m not going to say this is my last event, but I’m kind of taking the mindset that if it is, then it’s all in. If it is, I want to leave the building knowing I couldn’t have done anything more.”

The OpTic player is one of the all-time esports greats, with a career that should be celebrated whether he retires or not. However, would fans love to see him try his hand in another esport? Without a doubt.

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