Tragic Details About 100 Thieves
Gaming org 100 Thieves counts dozens of professional players and content creators among its ranks, including co-owner Valkyrae, who has the honor of being one of the first women to be part-owner of an esports team.
With so much attention surrounding the organization, and the number of members it has, it's no surprise that the group's gone through some tough times. The world of streaming and competitive gaming can certainly be rewarding, but there are a lot of downsides to having your life and your face plastered across the internet. Some people find that things only get more frustrating once they are put under a microscope.
Much like fellow esports organizations FaZe Clan and TSM, the various members of 100 Thieves have seen their fare share of tragedy. In particular, the following creators and players have unfortunately dealt with the difficulties of fame and the negative side of the internet.
Kenith struggled with anxiety and depression
Kenith is a Twitch streamer who joined up with 100 Thieves in 2018. Known primarily for paying "Fortnite," Kenith attracted a dedicated viewer-base for his sense of humor and strategic plays. Unfortunately, Kenith also struggled with depression during his tenure with the org.
In June 2019, Kenith tweeted to his followers, "I'm in this massive state of emptiness. Nothing I do is satisfying me... I just want out of this rinse and repeat hole. I just want to enjoy things again and have fun again. I'm so damn tired." Kenith received support from fans and colleagues, including Ghost Gaming's Kayuun, who recommended that he see a therapist for his issues. Just a few days later, 100 Thieves posted a video in which Kenith discussed the tremendous amount of pressure placed on him as a pro player.
At the end of that summer, 100 Thieves announced that Kenith was no longer part of the organization's roster. A more optimistic-sounding Kenith thanked the org for its time working with him. Since then, Kenith has sporadically streamed on Twitch, but his Twitter account notably refers to him as an "ex video game player."
Asuna received death threats after a Valorant tournament
Trash talk is a common occurrence in any online gaming experience. It's almost impossible to separate an online lobby from players who like to talk big. As such, this is a big part of the esports world as well, and 100 Thieves' pro "Valorant" player Asuna received some horrifying backlash after talking down to his opponents at a tournament in 2021.
According to DBLTAP, a now-deleted tweet from host Yinsu Collins included a clip of Asuna telling his opponents that they were "wasting his time" in the middle of a pause, which may have happened because of a sound issue at the tournament. While 100 Thieves did win 2-0 against Haven Liberty, many fans were outraged by Asuna's taunts.
This led to a number of death threats sent his way, which also prompted Collins to take down the clip. Collins responded to the backlash by saying, "Can't believe I have to say this but for the love of God don't send death threats to players for having fun, get a grip." He also called the people sending death threats a "disappointment" and "bad [people.]"
Asuna didn't respond or comment about the threats that came his way, which may have helped the awful situation to blow over.
Valkyrae's had second thoughts about her content because of 'creepy' fans
Valkyrae, the YouTube star who went from GameStop to queen of gaming, has had an unfortunate number of bad experiences with fans that have taken things too far, including a stalker who caused her to go private on Twitter in the early part of 2021. In December of the same year, she spoke out about even more fans that had crossed the line.
Fans were asking her if she would do another workout stream when Valkyrae explained that "creepy people" had made her a bit uncomfortable after her last workout stream. The streamer had apparently found out about a subreddit in which people were talking "disgustingly" about her workout pictures on Instagram.
She pointed out that she hoped she could still be a good influence online amidst the nasty comments. Valkyrae also admitted she's seen much worse about herself online, and that all of her fellow streamer friends have had similar experiences. As she explained, the blatant sexualization of her and other women online was a problem, making the internet into what one of her viewers called a "dark place" for women.
Unfortunately, Valkyrae's attempts to do something new and positive with her platform ended with her feeling like she wasn't in the safest space.
Yassuo's depression was thrown in his face by one of his closest friends
Back in 2020, a scandal rocked the OfflineTV house as multiple OTV creators accused fellow member Fedmyster of harrassment and sexual misconduct. The situation even led Pokimane to move out of the house, where she had lived with Fedmyster and others. While Yassuo, also known as Moe, was part of 100 Thieves at the time, he was a very close friend of Fedmyster. However, shortly after the allegations started coming out, Yassuo spoke about his own horrible experiences with Fedmyster.
Yassuo explained that his experience with depression in 2019 was something that he'd often spoken to Fedmyster about, because he trusted him. According to Yassuo, Fedmyster would take the things that Yassuo said about his depression and use them against him. Additionally, Yassuo explained that he believed Fedmyster would purposefully do things to make him "more sad," increasing his feelings of loneliness.
Yassuo went on to say that he didn't know about Fedmyster's other actions at the time, but found his conduct in general to be "unforgivable." Fedmyster has since been removed from OfflineTV.