Matt ‘FormaL‘ Piper has teased his retirement from esports following the conclusion of the Halo World Championship 2025.
The 2022 Halo world champion and 2017 Call of Duty world champion has competed across both first-person shooter titles since 2011.
In a YouTube video alongside OpTic Gaming founder Hector ‘H3CZ‘ Rodriguez, FormaL revealed that the Halo World Championship 2025 is likely to be his last event as a player.
FormaL first competed in Halo in 2011 under the Believe The Hype banner until 2014, when he switched to Call of Duty. In 2022, he returned to Halo with OpTic Gaming, where he has represented the organisation for the past three and a half years.
“I’ve come to terms that this [Halo World Championship 2025] is probably my last event,” revealed FormaL. “Do I want to compete in CoD? Not really. I don’t want to tarnish any legacy that I have there.”
FormaL is regarded as one of the best FPS players of all time after scoring several tournament victories across Halo and Call of Duty. In 2025, he won the HCS Arlington Major and the HCS Dallas Open, cementing OpTic Gaming’s place as one of the world’s top Halo teams.
FormaL’s Legacy
If FormaL decides to call time on his esports career after the World Championship, he will retire as one of the few players to switch titles and win the biggest accolades on offer.
With the HCS retiring Halo Infinite as its competitive title at the end of the 2025 season, it is unclear what the future holds for Halo esports, which could be a factor behind any decision FormaL makes.
Whichever direction FormaL chooses to take, he has left a lasting legacy in console esports, becoming a household name as part of two OpTic Gaming rosters that have conquered their respective titles.
