Dennis "TaKe" Gehlen and the TakeTV crew are not only one of the best in SC2, but one of the best in all of eSports. Based on pure financial resources alone, Blizzcon should be the absolute pinnacle of SC2 eSports for the year in every single way. The best production, the best games, the best casters and hosts, the best venue, everything. But it wasn't. The casters were great, the games were epic. The venue was lackluster and the production was that of a company that frankly miss Scarlett doesnt give a damn. The SC2 eSports team at blizzard and the casters hosts and players all put on one hell of a show at blizzcon despite having wholly inadequate resources and completely unacceptable circumstances.
Homestory Cup XX has been, in my opinion (and I dont think I am alone in that opinion), the best tournament of the year. TaKe, being the absolute madman he is, infamously tweeted post blizzcon, "I can do better than that." On paper, this should not be possible. A community funded laidback atmosphere fun pro tournament should not (again, on paper) be able to be a greater spectacle than the world championship. It comes down to the passion, care, and attention to detail. At blizzcon, the signature series was axed, the entire event was forced into a one-day poorly planned timeslot, and THE WORLD CHAMPION wasn't even mentioned in the event recap. At HSCXX, there is an abundance of content, the event is stretched over 4 days (14 hours each holy shit), and the venue is one of the most unique and awesome in SC2 history. Tropical Islands is giving me flashbacks to The Beach in the KeSPA brood war era (OG's you know what I'm talking about). But all the awesome extra videos and interviews and pro player casters and even the budget, at Homestory I honestly dont think it even matters. The difference? THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY GIVE A DAMN. The TaKeTV crew and TaKe love putting on this event. They love SC2. And they do it for us, the fans, because at the end of the day, thats what we all are. We are fans. I truly desperately hope, even though it is unlikely, that someone at Blizzard sees not just this thread, but is watching HSCXX. Please, for us, do better. There is a reason the next HSC is funded in 10 minutes at the end of every tournament. To clarify, I AM NOT BLAMING THE SC2 TEAM AT BLIZZARD! The devs are likely overworked, underappreciated, and underpaid. The eSports team is likely a total afterthought. And thats bullshit. You guys are legends. So I ask again; Blizzard, are you paying attention?
Sincerely,
Just Another Die Hard Fan
