Phil “The_Thrill” Haller: '...expect big things from the S2 eSports scene in 2012.'

Looking at the bigger picture, what's your view on the overarching competitive HoN scene as we move towards 2012? Do you expect the growth scene in 2011 to continue, or do you think things will level off?

Phil: This year we’re up against some big competition with League of Legends hosting a $5M Season and the DotA2 International in August. While S2 could compete directly with these games in a dollar for dollar sense, we won’t and we take a different approach. Heroes of Newerth is getting closer and closer (less than 60 days now) to the launch of our $100K HoN Tour (www.hontour.com) accelerated Beta Season. This is just the first step of many that we are taking in 2012 to form a competitive atmosphere in which teams of all skill levels can compete to win cash prizes as well as points that go toward invitations to offline events and other prizes. I think everyone will be impressed with the HoN Tour structure. Fans, competitors and the competitive players can expect big things from the S2 eSports scene in 2012.

Seeing as how you have a new gig and Honcast is currently auditioning new co-casters, have we seen the last days of you behind the mic? Or will you continue casting while you work with S2?

Phil: My focus right now has to be on HoN Tour and the competitive scene. I have enjoyed my time with Honcast, the things I’ve experienced, the fans I’ve met, and the travel I’ve been able to do have all been wonderful. I will be stepping away from casting, hopefully permanently, as that means I will have a full plate to deal with in eSports. I won’t say I will never cast another game, because there will be times at events, like Dreamhack, where an additional caster may need to step in to give the actual casters a break (like DivA and xanderK did at Dreamhack Winter 2011.) I’m sure you’ll see me pop up on a podcast every now and then.


What are your thoughts on Moonmeander and his stream? Do you consider it something positive for the greater HoN community, or do you think it has the potential to cause damage?

Phil: I’ve been a mod on Moon’s stream for awhile and found myself connecting with his viewers in a non-trolling manner. Moon has told me multiple times how much he loves Heroes of Newerth, so he should be using his popularity to be spreading the good news about HoN, not the bad. We’ve all seen the ramifications of Moon’s stream in everyday TMM, there isn’t a day that goes by that I get killed and someone spams a “You Just Got Dumped On” macro. It doesn’t bother me personally, but it’s a constant reminder that our community is still as adolescent as it was 2 years ago. This something S2 is working hard to change.”