This 12 months’s IEM Cologne is sort of at an finish! We bought the prospect to talk to Freya Spiers through the NAVI vs. MOUZ semi remaining recreation. We focus on a 12 months of occasions on Counter-Strike 2, avoiding burnout and her time as one of the prolific CS skills on the market.
Sophie: So thanks a lot for the interview.
How are you discovering Cologne thus far?
Freya: I imply, Cologne’s wonderful. I’ve been coming right here, I imply, I began coming right here as a fan in 2014, I wish to say after we have been again at Colness for Video games Farm, stumbled into Counter-Strike there. It was the foremost and I used to be truly queuing up the Halo on the time however the queue was too lengthy. So that they stated, “oh, go across the nook, there’s some Counter-Strike on” and yeah, why not?
After which got here again in 2015 in Lanxess. 2016 as effectively. So it’s been type of like an annual pilgrimage for me. I really feel like that’s why lots of people are, like, right here, proper?
Sophie: Completely. I imply, that is my second Cologne and I don’t suppose I’m going to cease anytime quickly as a result of I needed to ask, since you’re clearly a little bit of a veteran of IEM. You’ve performed Dallas, Chengdu, Katowice.
Credit score: ESL
How does that have evaluate with Cologne?
Freya: I believe there’s such a singular id to all of the IEM occasions. It was truly my first time in China at Chengdu, in order that was a totally totally different expertise.
And the fandom stage there may be insane. Like, followers exterior the lodge 24/7, they have been all the time asking for autographs from the gamers. Clearly, they don’t watching the English stream, in order that they’d be very upset each time I walked out the lodge with Mathieu or Pimp and be like. Who’re these guys? They’re not gamers.
However no, no, they have been extremely welcoming. It was a extremely distinctive perception into a totally totally different area and why they love Counter-Strike. I believe Katowice, once more, is, I type of put it on the identical pedestal as Cologne, proper?
Clearly, we’ve been going to every metropolis for about the identical period of time and also you type of see totally different fan teams coming from throughout Europe. It’s fairly straightforward to get to Katowice, equally so is Cologne. So there’s numerous, yeah, like tight knit teams of followers that can ensure that they’re both going to Katowice or Cologne each single 12 months.
Dallas is insane. Simply by way of, I believe the US crowds are type of much like a UK crowd by way of they sadly don’t actually have, like, a hometown group to help. They’re truly going to legitimately win the trophy, however then Stewie turns up and is like, okay, I assume I’m successful this as a stand in. However it’s that like uncooked ardour of, I don’t care if there’s nobody from my nation up on stage, I’m gonna come for each single recreation.
I’m right here for Counter-Strike, which truly now I’m occupied with it, it’s type of what all these locations type of share alike, proper? Like, you do have some illustration in Poland, clearly, Germany solely MOUZ enjoying proper now on stage as a German group and individuals are simply turning up for good Counter-Strike. And I believe we’re actually fortunate that we get to go to so many alternative areas, significantly publish Covid, as a result of it took us so, such a very long time to get again to the US. Actually grateful that we get to return to Dallas, like so typically.
Sophie: Yeah, it’s so good to listen to as a result of I used to be questioning, we’ve bought a extremely packed schedule of Counter-Strike lately. There’s BLAST, there’s the Esports World Cup now.
In order expertise, how does that have an effect on you? Are you fearful about burnout in any respect?
Freya: I believe it’s type of solely optimistic after we look in direction of subsequent 12 months and everybody has type of deemed it as just like the Wild West. We’re going again to, you realize, no accomplice leagues anymore. Groups get to select and select which occasions they wish to go to. And I believe for expertise, it’s solely an excellent factor.
It’s simply going to open up far more alternatives for some individuals who might get alternatives on the B stream aspect of issues. I believe extra goes to be type of widening their remit of expertise and giving a number of the up and coming commentators or hosts or interviewers extra alternatives.
However I believe additionally what you’re saying is burnout is a troublesome factor to speak about. I bear in mind talking to Anders, of all folks, 4 years in the past, and he stated to me, “I’m actually fearful that if I skip an occasion, folks will overlook who I’m”. I’m like, you’re the voice of counter strike. No one’s going to overlook who you’re.
Sophie: Completely.
Freya: So I believe it’s such an essential factor that we type of remind one another, like, hey, you realize, you’re established. You’re right here for a purpose. So long as you’re doing good work, you will hold coming again.
And it’s good to have the ability to take that point off as laborious as it’s generally as a result of all of us love Counter-Strike and that’s why we’re doing it. And I believe for me specifically, I used to come back to those occasions as a fan. So I don’t really feel, I don’t essentially really feel the burnout from it as a result of it’s type of being surrounded by the people who I might select to be round anyway.
I’m very fortunate. I’ve bought a extremely good friendship group. My accomplice additionally works in esports as effectively, so it’s type of like a house away from residence. Fairly a singular perspective to have on it.
Credit score: ESL
Sophie: Oh, yeah. I imply, it’s hardly work in case you’re simply hanging out with somebody you’re keen on. That’s nice. Yeah. Since you’ve been concerned in Counter-Strike for therefore a few years, you’ve seen how we’ve modified from CS go to CS2.
Is there any distinction which you could inform between occasions now we’re virtually a 12 months into CS2?
Freya: It’s a extremely good query. Yeah. As a result of that is the primary Cologne, weirdly sufficient, that we’ve had in CS2.
We’re type of going across the calendar and going, okay, we’re doing a full 12 months of Counter-Strike 2. I don’t know whether or not there’s a marked distinction.. Clearly, MR12 might be the most important distinction, I believe. Like, it makes the video games loads faster. I assume the comeback alternatives are much less probably simply because you might have fewer rounds, however on the identical time, you don’t essentially see those self same blowouts.
I’m saying this, we simply come off the again of the Vitality recreation, which…
Soph: Was a little bit of a blowout.
Freya: Yeah, it’s not essentially occurring as steadily as you see these type of 16-2s, 16-1s. I believe that’s in all probability the most important distinction is we’re truly capable of only a bit extra in a day now, we went again to the 4 better of threes at first of this event as effectively. I believe at first I used to be type of like. I used to be a bit sceptical of, okay, is that this the altering of the guard? Are all of the veterans going to depart? Are we going to see your Karrigans, your Apexes exiting and going, okay, CS:GO is finished. My time’s performed, however I’m actually glad we haven’t.
I believe it’s been type of on them to go, okay, we’ve had this alteration. They skilled, clearly, the change from supply and 1.6 into CS:GO anyway. They wish to do it for a 3rd time. They wish to present that it’s not only a legacy dwelling in CS:GO, however can keep it up CS2 as effectively.
Soph: Yeah, precisely. Which I assume is essential for expertise as effectively, to have the ability to have that transition. I assume it’s fairly troublesome as an analyst to vary that. So I assume that form of segues me fairly properly into the very last thing I needed to speak about, which was, clearly, you began off as a reporter and an interviewer and also you’ve actually transitioned into desk host.
So how was that transition for you? And which function do you like?
Freya: It was performed very neatly from on the time I used to be working at FaceIt. Clearly, we’ve now merged into EFG, however I began again with FaceIt as a freelancer in 2018, got here on type of as a full time worker in 2019, and so they have been very good about the best way they built-in me into the scene.
Initially, it was like, hey, you’re going to do, you’re not going to do something stay as a result of that’s fucking scary. You’re going to do pre recorded interviews on-line, you’re going to do voiceovers for us, you’re going to get used, you realize, simply speaking on digicam. Then we’ll combine into the stay aspect of issues.
And finally, the objective was to finish up as a desk publish, which I didn’t know on the time. The producer was like, I can see this occurring. That is my imaginative and prescient. Took a pair years to make it there, however I believe I’m very fortunate the place I wasn’t essentially thrown in on the deep finish or thrown in at, like, the center finish, you realize. Like, it was a problem, however I nonetheless knew I had a lot belief within the producers, and I believe that’s such an essential a part of being, you realize, expertise from any spectrum is having the ability to depend on the individual that’s in your ear and realizing they’re not going to set you as much as fail, which is one thing that, I imply, how we’ve merged with ESL and EFG, numerous the Fb producers are nonetheless right here, nonetheless working, which is wonderful for me as a result of I’ve been capable of nurture these relationships for six years.
Soph: Yeah, it’s a very long time now.
Freya: It’s some time. Yeah, six years, yeah. So I believe it was type of a. I don’t wish to say it was a sluggish development, but it surely was a tempered development. It was having any person look out for me and go, hey, she’s able to take the following step, which I actually respect.
As to which function I desire. I did interviews again at EWC only a few weeks in the past, simply so I may do the total factor as a result of they didn’t want two desk hosts for the entire time. And it was actually refreshing to be again. I cherished being again with the gamers. I imply, they’re beautiful to talk with, and it additionally provides me a bit extra perception as a desk pose, since you get the occasional interview on the desk, however you don’t get to talk to them beforehand. You don’t get to talk to them afterwards. It’s like, hey, we’re stay. You’re approaching. Okay, so long. We’ve bought to maneuver on with the present, and you then don’t actually get to see them once more.
So I like having the combination of each, however I believe desk posting was. I’d by no means felt fulfilment till I’d performed that. And it was actually bizarre. I didn’t know that there was type of that stage of satisfaction with work, and. Yeah. Went into there was like, okay, I’ve bought the bag now. That is what I wish to be doing. Yeah. Fortunate for the previous. How lengthy has it been? 4 years, I assume.
It’s psychological once I say it like that.
Credit score: BLAST
Sophie: Yeah, I’ve suppose you’ve been a desk host for so long as I’ve been into Counter-Strike!
Freya: How did you get into CS, if I could ask?
Sophie: Yeah, yeah. So I bought into esports loads later than lots of people do, and I began off in Dota. So Dota is absolutely my recreation. I began out as a author, and I used to be like, okay, I want to write down about one thing that isn’t Dota. And I simply was like, what different video games do Valve do? And right here we’re.
Freya: So what was cool, I did one Dota occasion. Oh, my God. I’ve by no means felt so silly in my life. It’s so laborious.
Sophie: It’s so laborious.
Freya: I used to be on the desk like yeah, I can’t break this down. Like, it’s simply usually it’s like, shoot and kill. That’s it. However, no, there’s all the skills, all the pieces. However it’s nice. I can respect it from the skin. I’ll go away it to Sheever and the specialists.
Sophie: In order we’re speaking proper now, NAVI are enjoying MOUZ.
If I may get your grand remaining prediction, who do you suppose’s gonna get there? Who do you suppose’s gonna win?
Freya: I believe NAVI will find yourself taking up Vitality. I’ve bought a bit of bit, I think about you do as effectively, as a result of mezii, lastly, we’re getting a British participant for the primary time since, I believe, 2018. 2019.
I hope Vitality can do it. Like, clearly, NAVI have had a lot success with EWC, with the Main win as effectively, however I imply, Apex was a loopy entry fragger the final time. That or the primary time, slightly, that I got here to Lanxess on the aspect of envy. So I might like to lastly get to see him.
