Balla's future in Fortnite is up in the air as 3rd party TO Dreamhack fails to announce future events
One year ago, Dreamhack hosted their last Fortnite LAN in Anaheim, California. I personally took the trip west unknowing that it would be the last gaming LAN of the year+
There, we witnessed one of the most passionate scenes perhaps in all of gaming history. Since Dreamhack didn’t allocate room for an official casting crew, Balla alongside his trusty partner Shyowager took matters into his own hands
The pair reserved a few seats among rows of tables where players competed and made their own production. Players filed in and out of this makeship casting booth to get interviewed after pop off performances
Image courtesy of BallaTW
The production became so popular that security often had to disperse crowds that inevitably formed around these two dynamic individuals. The hype leaked into the online hemisphere with hundreds of thousands or even millions of viewers piling in throughout the days
The tournament’s final moments lived up to the hype. MrSavage stole the event from Bizzle in the last round with a stunning series of endgame eliminations. All the while, Balla and his production team kept track of and livestreamed all the action
For those wondering, the webcam was grainy due to the venue being dark with no substantial lighting allowed. This gives you an idea for how little accommodated the real stars of this tournament were
Last year, things took a turn for the worse
In September, Balla surprised the community with an announcement that he would no longer be a part of the official Fortnite broadcast in any capacity
I am sad to say I won't be a part of this season's FNCS broadcast.
— Ballatw (@Ballatw) September 26, 2020
While super sad, I am proud of the growth in my casting and analysis - and what I've been able to contribute to the broadcast overall, outside of casting ability. Excited to see what's to come on the broadcast.
Rumors floated which pointed to the fact that Balla harshly criticized Solos as a competitive gamemode as the reason for termination. For a company that has defended free speech in the past, this credible theory turns hypocritical quickly
But Balla made himself useful in the Fortnite scene through other means. As of the past few months, the capacity included participating in Dreamhack’s 3rd party Fortnite majors
Almost one year ago Shyo and I embarked on a journey at @DreamHackFN Anaheim.
— Ballatw (@Ballatw) February 1, 2021
Today - I cast potentially my last major Fortnite finals w/ the NAW Finals.
Feels.
Bringing it home - don't miss this.https://t.co/dz1eazmACn pic.twitter.com/pgWVyz3Zhc
It’s an unfortunate fact that the future for Dreamhack-hosted Fortnite events are up in the air. But if this was in fact the last event the popular 3rd party organizer hosts, it’s a reality we need to come to terms with
While that means one less tournament for players to compete in, it also makes Balla a “Fortnite refugee” once again. His spot in the official mediums in the Fortnite scene may just be over at this point
If you asked any random Fortnite fan who their favorite caster was -- I bet a plurality of them would say Balla. Not to shade any of the other commentary talent in Fortnite but Balla’s continued dedication since the OG days simply resonates well with much of the community
As the world turns and the community evolves, new people will join and ogs will eventually move on. Perhaps there’s some figurative language that describes this situation but I’m not in the mood to figure it out
To Balla -- if this was your last Fortnite broadcast, I’m speaking for the whole community when I say your work was uniquely exceptional. Your educational content is bar none and getting effectively boxed out of your biggest passion project is very, very upsetting
Thank you again for everything Balla, and best of luck in your future endeavours