Broadcast Talents
Desk Hosts:
- Freya (Freya Spiers).
- Tech Girl (Sam Wright)
Stage Hosts:
- James Banks (James Banks)
- Cnd (François Balembois)
Interviewers:
- Dinko (Adam Hawthorne)
- CouldBeMassive (Mads Pedersen)
Analysts:
Overtime Host:.
- Jake Lucky (Jake Lucky)
Commentators:
Who was invited: Jake Lucky, Tech Girl
The problem with Jake Lucky is not that this big CS:GO tournament will be his first, and not that he is called the "drama queen". He is a popular gaming journalist who could attract new viewers, but the issue is his reputation within the Counter-Strike community. In pursuit of hype, Lucky accused former North American esports player and now streamer Mohammad m0E Assad of cheating on his wife, which was a lie. In any case, the invitation is controversial.
As for Tech Girl, many forums are skeptical of her because she has only hosted two relatively large tournaments, one of which was for women. Nevertheless, she will be helped by Freya, who is well-known to many.
Who won't be at the arena
JustHarry and Hugo Byron have been commentating for viewers since 2016, and their voices can be heard in many exciting highlights. They have worked on several Majors, but unfortunately, both of them will not be in the playoffs of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, only up to the legend stage, which is disappointing.
Who won't be at the tournament
HenryG can truly be called one of the main voices of the CS:GO pro scene. He originally ended his casting career in 2020, but returned in 2022, working at the ESL Pro League S17. He announced that he and Anders intend to commentate on future CS2 matches as a duo. If HenryG can be called the voice of CS:GO, then his brain can be called the analyst YNk, and yes, he won't be at the Major either, which also caused some dissatisfaction among frequent CS:GO event viewers.
Let's not forget about the controversial figure of Thorin. The freelance analyst and journalist was last seen at the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 with his colleague Richard Lewis. By the way, Lewis left the esports broadcasting sphere in 2022, focusing on journalism. Thorin refused to collaborate with ESL when they were acquired by a Saudi company. As for BLAST, he did not exclude the possibility of appearing at one of their tournaments in the future, but apparently, this will not happen in the near future. His straightforwardness and openness could add interest to the studio's analysis segments.
Conclusions
The last CS:GO Major is a truly special event that happens once in a lifetime. It would be logical to make every effort to ensure that legendary talents and members of the analysis studio are present at this celebration of Counter-Strike. But the absence of some beloved members of the esports community could leave a tainted impression of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. Valve and tournament operators' desire to give tier-2 event commentators and analysts a chance to showcase themselves at a major championship is fully understandable - the talent circle should not be a closed club.
However, for the first CS2 Major, community feedback needs to be collected, missing legendary commentators need to be invited, and newbies from other disciplines should not be rejected as hosts, interviewers, and content creators. Such personalities can give a boost to viewership by attracting new audiences.
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