The Bizarre Rumors About This GTA Streamer's Fake Death Explained
The NoPixel "GTA" roleplay server can be tough. After all, it has rules and a tight-knit community to enforce them. xQc has been banned from NoPixel multiple times for violating laws in-game, and even though he seems okay with his latest ban, the chaotic streamer is an example of how difficult it can be to remain lawful in a lawless game. "GTA" roleplaying requires commitment to character and community, and it's easy to understand why some people might want out. One "GTA" roleplayer took things to the extreme in order to leave the community: He faked his own death just to take a break.
Context is everything in this story. SavX, who played Johnny Cassle on NoPixel's roleplay server, reportedly died in late 2020. In early 2021, many NoPixel streamers received messages explaining SavX's death. Nidas tweeted about the email, explaining that he received word from SavX's brother that the streamer died by suicide. Nidas urged viewers to "remember Sav for his undying urge to help others, for his unselfishness and for his enormous positivity," and explained that SavX's family wanted fans to make donations to mental health charities in lieu of flowers or gifts. The comments in response to Nidas' tweet are full of fans mourning their favorite streamer, and include many well wishes for his peace in the afterlife.
The fans really did mourn. On NoPixel's server, developers added SavX's name to a memorial headstone, giving players a physical space to grieve. And after six months of sadness ... gamers have now discovered that SavX might have faked the whole thing.
Koil hires a private investigator
The story is complicated, and all the details can't be confirmed, but pieces slowly began coming together to solve the elaborate puzzle SavX constructed. One of the owners of NoPixel, Koil, took to Twitch to discuss the situation, telling fans, "It's 100% confirmed that [SavX] is alive." Some developers from NoPixel hired a private investigator to look into SavX's death in order to put to rest a few suspicions they had. The private investigator confirmed SavX was alive, and provided all manner of personal details, including his home address.
Koil said that he wouldn't release any of that information because it would be considered doxxing, but he did spend a significant amount of time explaining who SavX was, and why his hoax was so infuriating. SavX received a ban from NoPixel shortly before faking his death for aimbotting. "I had my suspicions straight away," Koil said. "You know, a lot of weird people aimbot and s*** like that, and usually if you get caught aimbotting, you go ghost, especially if it's in a community situation." Koil explained that the saddest thing about the situation is that SavX's fake death might have triggered others to hurt themselves as well. He noted that the past year has been difficult for everyone, and that some people might not have needed much encouragement to do something drastic.
Another streamer, Ramee discussed SavX's faked death, as well. He explained that "a lot of hackers do that" if they get exposed, disappearing from the gaming world. He also said that SavX hacked in "Valorant" in addition to "GTA 5." "Sav never used to stream," Ramee said. "No one knew he was doing it." Ramee and SavX were friends, which makes this later development even stranger.
Discord messages from a ghost
As penguinz0 explained in a detailed video, Ramee allegedly received Discord messages from SavX months after his supposed death. The messages show that SavX contacted Ramee after months of silence, saying, "We got a lot to talk about, but don't tell anyone ... I faked it all." SavX excused the hoax by saying "You know I'm toxic as f***," but Ramee didn't fall for it, calling SavX an "idiot."
Ramee made the point in a YouTube video that SavX could have returned later, as permabans are rarely actually permanent, but SavX said he wanted to leave the community. For the entirety of the conversation, SavX seemed calm, and proud that he'd convinced the world he was dead. Ramee tried to explain that people genuinely mourned his loss, and had real emotions about his death, but SavX just seemed to think the whole incident was very cool. The Discord messages can't be confirmed as real, but the evidence seems overwhelming.
Fans were understandably outraged and confused by the entire event. Unlike "GTA 5" itself, SavX might not get a second chance at life. No matter how gamers look at it, some real dishonesty happened in the saga of SavX, and it's likely he will face a reckoning if he tries to return to gaming.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).