Popular YouTuber Cory DeVante Williams, known to his 14.7 million followers as just CoryxKenshin, took Halloween to the next level when he announced on Oct. 29 that he was deleting his channel.
The video, titled “Deleting My YouTube Channel,” served as a follow-up to his previous video from weeks prior in which he declared that if he didn’t upload the entirety of the survival horror video game Resident Evil Village DLC before it released on Oct. 28, he would delete his channel. This self-made challenge was not the first time CoryxKenshin set himself a daunting task, but this time the 29-year-old intended to give himself disastrous parameters to keep himself in check.
The comments section on the video quickly filled with concerns from followers, and the video itself shot to the top of YouTube’s trending pile. But did CoryxKenshin really delete his channel? Here’s what you should know.
Why didn’t CoryxKenshin follow through on his promise to upload Resident Evil Village DLC?
Before committing the act of deleting his channel, CoryxKenshin told his followers he owed them an explanation. He took them on a car ride to a beautiful park and set up the camera at the edge of a lake where the sun glistened off the water behind him as he filled his viewers in on everything that’s happened in his life.
He explained that his mother’s nail salon caught on fire due to an LED malfunction (she is safe); he alluded to some financial hardships after having to step in for close family or friends (he did not elaborate which); and he expressed an overall sense of feeling unmotivated, which, combined with everything else, made the task of completing Village almost impossible.
“In this stage in my life I just really suck at keeping promises to my YouTube community. I don’t know why. A lot of stuff happened that wasn’t in my control, but I definitely — there’s no excuse at the end of the day. I definitely could have powered through what was going on and got the series uploaded like I said.”
CoryxKenshin’s regret was palpable as he apologized on camera, albeit with his quintessential sense of humor. Supportive comments piled up in the comments section, clearly indicating that an apology was not needed. Nevertheless, as promised, he returned to his filming studio and started the process of deleting his channel. Taking his followers through the painful final steps, he let his mouse hover over the “Delete channel” buttons for several seconds, then painstakingly entered his email address and finally clicked “Delete my content.”
Did he really delete his YouTube channel?
There’s no point in keeping you hanging on the edge of your seat. The answer is no, CoryxKenshin did not delete his YouTube channel. After explaining to his followers why he wasn’t able to get the walkthrough done in time and giving a faux walkthrough of deleting his account, the 29-year-old juked everyone out by deleting his personal YouTube account, not his professional one.
“I said deleting my channel. I didn’t say which one,” he said through a fit of laughter.
Promising the full upload of Village very soon, CoryxKenshin asked his followers for a bit of trust as he navigated this tricky time in his life. He assured them that he would focus all his efforts on getting Villiage up on his site as soon as possible, and then shift his attention to the Nov. 9 release of God of War Ragnarök.
Deal or no deal, Village or no Village, CoryxKenshin once again proved why he’s everybody’s favorite YouTuber who, even in difficult times, has a joke up his sleeve.