Casting controversy overshadows Archon league broadcast

The first broadcast for last night's Archon Team League Championships (ATLC) included 24 of the best players in the world, some of the biggest organizations, in esports, and a $250,000 prize pool

The first broadcast for last night’s Archon Team League Championships (ATLC) included 24 of the best players in the world, some of the biggest organizations, in esports, and a $250,000 prize pool. But all anyone could talk about afterwards was something else—the performance of one of the casters.

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Streamer and personality Byron “Reckful” Bernstein, who is part of the Tempo Storm organization, casted the second matchday of the ATLC alongside casting mainstay Dan “Frodan” Chou.

Throughout the first series, Bernstein appeared disinterested and distracted, openly admitting on a number of occasions that he was either not watching the matches or not listening to his co-commentator. He also admitted he didn’t know who one of the teams were or that he and Chou were scheduled to cast a second match, adding later that research and preparation were “not really important.”

Bernstein was also criticized for his use of the word “rape” and for swearing twice, and for repeatedly calling teammate Haiyun “Eloise” Tang “E-Lewis.” He was replaced for the second match by league organizer Jason “Amaz” Chan, and will not be returning to cast the ATLC.

“Casting for the second day of ATLC did not work out as expected,” league representative Rania Hatzi said in a statement. “We offer our apologies and we ensure you that we keep working on constantly improving.”

Bernstein immediately went to his twitch stream after the broadcast, defending his use of the word rape by saying he “heard people use it all the time,” and that his casting had been of a good standard. According to Bernstein, the inappropriate language was the sole cause of his dismissal.

This is not the first time Bernstein’s casting has caused controversy—in September 2014 his comments about female players during the Lord of the Arena 2 event prompted a public apology from Tempo Storm.

Photo via Amaz Hearthstone/Youtube | Remix by Max Fleishman

If you liked the article, you’ll love our video. Check out today’s Quick Cast news update.



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Callum Leslie
Weekend Editor, Dot Esports.