Best Alex Hitt Podcasts (2024)

1
Is Valve ruining Counter-Strike? Exposing Conflicts of Interest (ft messioso) 2:50:06

5d ago2:50:06

2:50:06

Richard Lewis, Thorin, and MonteCristo are joined by Graham "messioso" Pitt, currently the GM for Complexity CS, to discuss upcoming changes being made by Valve to professional Counter-Strike. Main topics include Team Falcons and Saudi conflicts of interest, difficulties that teams are facing with securing visas, teams' perspectives on the upcoming…

1
The Sad Truth of Esports Journalism / Why ESPN Esports Failed (ft Kevin Hitt) 3:13:27

1M ago3:13:27

3:13:27

Richard Lewis, Thorin, and MonteCristo are joined by journalist Kevin Hitt to discuss the state of esports journalism. Topics include the history of esports journalism, recent involvement from Saudi Arabia especially in relation to Rolling Stone and the Esports Awards, the reasons why ESPN Esports failed, how the recent Dr. Disrespect scandal was h…

1
How esports sold out | Saudi money floods the industry 3:31:11

2M ago3:31:11

3:31:11

Pride month has begun and so has the corporate hypocrisy in the esports industry as Saudi money continues to increase its control over the industry with the imminent arrival of the Esports World Cup. Andrew "Zyori" Campbell, former DotA caster and esports personality, joins to discuss the corporate virtue signaling, the increasing level of sportswa…

1
Riot Vanguard Disaster - Is a Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat safe? (ft Yasukeh) 2:08:29

3M ago2:08:29

2:08:29

Richard Lewis, Thorin, and MonteCristo are joined by retired former Challenger player Yasukeh to discuss Riot Vanguard: Riot Games's anti-cheat used for VALORANT, League of Legends, and Teamfight Tactics. Further topics include the intrusiveness levels of kernel-level anti-cheat systems, Riot's claims on why Vanguard is needed, Reddit Moderators de…

1
The EG Files Part 2: In the Trenches at EG ft. Phillip Aram 3:11:53

4M ago3:11:53

3:11:53

Richard Lewis, Thorin, MonteCristo, and guest Phillip Aram continue the mini-series "The EG Files" by discussing Phillip's history with Evil Geniuses, the successes and struggles of their iconic DOTA team, the effects of the org splitting from Twitch and Amazon, difficulty in gaining sponsors and investment, the reasons why Peak6 was eventually cho…

1
The EG Files Part 1: Evil Origins and the Rise of Alex Garfield 2:38:11

5M ago2:38:11

2:38:11

Richard Lewis, Thorin, and MonteCristo begin the mini-series "The EG Files" by discussing how Evil Geniuses was formed, the team's time in Quake, Starcraft 2, and early Counter-Strike, Alex Garfield's cut-throat rise in power, EG's spike in popularity with signing players like HuK & IdrA, their handling of media, their Twitch era, and more.…

1
Esports Winter RAGES ON | A storm of stickers and Saudis (ft Tomi) 3:10:12

6M ago3:10:12

3:10:12

We check in with Tomi "Lurppis" Kovanen on the status of "esports winter" as we head into the second year of budget cuts, layoffs, lack of sponsorship interest, and more. The Horsemen discuss the changes in the landscape, particularly the money flowing in from the Saudi government through ESL FACEIT Group and the surprising sticker returns from the…

1
OpTic SUES Activision / H3CZ and Scump's industry-changing gamble (ft. Harris Peskin) 2:29:17

6M ago2:29:17

2:29:17

Richard Lewis, Thorin, and MonteCristo are joined by Harris Peskin of ESG Law to discuss the lawsuit filed by H3CZ and Scump against Activision-Blizzard and their alleged monopoly of Call of Duty Competition. The discussion also delves into the past and potential future of organized esports competition, the monumental impact this case could make on…

1
MASS LAYOFFS at Riot Games and Activision Blizzard (ft. Foxdrop) 4:01:57

7M ago4:01:57

4:01:57

Richard Lewis, Thorin, and MonteCristo are joined by Dan "Foxdrop" Wyatt to discuss the mass layoffs at Riot Games & Activision Blizzard, the layoffs' effects on the LEC as a product, experiences working with people at Riot and Activision Blizzard, and the bleak future of working in the esports industry.…

1
ABANDONING LCS: Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians leave LoL (feat. Danan) 2:34:19

9M ago2:34:19

2:34:19

Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians have suddenly left the LCS, League of Legends' North American professional league, leaving only 8 team remaining out of the original 10 franchise slots. Former GM of Golden Guardians and long-time esports manager Danan Flander joins the Horsemen to discuss how we arrived at this moment and what it means in the bro…

1
Spill the ImmuniTEA Survivor 45 Episode 1 Recap 1:08:12

11M ago1:08:12

1:08:12

Get ready for a thrilling game show-style episode of Spill the ImmuniTEA! Join us as we dissect Survivor Season 45, Episode 1, discussing player insights, our take on Jeff Probst's hosting, winner predictions, strategy showdowns, camp life chronicles, and the biggest mis-steps. Don't miss this exciting episode – hit that subscribe button and let's …

1
END of the Overwatch League? / Teams paid $6m to LEAVE (feat. Harsha) 2:41:09

1y ago2:41:09

2:41:09

The Overwatch League suffered another wave of layoffs this week and news broke that Activision-Blizzard will pay teams $6 million to abandon their franchise slots at the end of the current season. It appears that the era of the Overwatch League has ended, so Harsha Bandi, former professional coach for the San Francisco Shock, Vancouver Titans, and …

1
Will Riot KILL the LCS by removing the path to pro? (feat. Phillip Aram) 3:03:33

1+ y ago3:03:33

3:03:33

Riot has eliminated the requirement for the North American LCS teams to field amateur rosters, which left many questioning the future development of talent in the region. LCS Players' Association leader Phillip Aram joins the horsemen to discuss the group's demands to Riot and the possibility of a player walk-out at the start of the Summer Split. T…

1
Troubles at the LAST CS:GO Major / Putting BLAST on blast? (feat. kassad) 2:30:34

1+ y ago2:30:34

2:30:34

Aleksandar "kassad" Trifunović, professional Counter-Strike coach and analyst, joins the Horsemen to discuss the issues with the talent announcement and the lead-up to the final CS:GO Major hosted by BLAST. They discuss the competitive integrity issues that plagues the qualifying RMRs, the lack of key historic talent at the event to close out the G…

1
The esports bubble POPS / Where do we go now? (feat. Devin Nash) 3:07:20

1+ y ago3:07:20

3:07:20

Devin Nash, former CLG CEO, joins the show to discuss the onset of esports winter and the looming issues with the broader industry. The Four Horsemen trace the failures of monetization that brought us to this point, as well as the zealous over-investment that caused the esports bubble. They discuss how viewership was assumed to be exponentially inc…

1
How did EG FAIL their star player Danny? (feat. RichsWrath) 2:00:29

1+ y ago2:00:29

2:00:29

Evil Geniuses' star League of Legends player Kyle "Danny" Sakamaki suffered severe stress and an inability to continue playing during EG's playoff run in the LCS in Summer Split and Worlds 2022. New reporting by Richard Lewis and Thorin reveals systemic neglect by CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson and other members of EG's upper management. Guest horsema…

1
The State of Esports Business: Is 2023 the esports winter? (feat. lurppis) 3:24:35

1+ y ago3:24:35

3:24:35

Tomi "lurppis" Kovanen, co-managing director of Immortals Gaming Club and former professional player, joins the the Horsemen to review 2022 through the esports business lens. They discuss the imminent "esports winter," the state of sponsorships in a potential recession, the shift from franchising to the new VALORANT model, which esports are healthi…

1
The State of LoL: 2022 in Review / LCS schedule change (feat. Rich) 2:59:36

1+ y ago2:59:36

2:59:36

Rich (Rich'sWrath), player agent and founder of H2K, joins the the Horsemen to review 2022 in LoL esports, discuss the effects of the recent FTX debacle, possible reasoning behind the LCS 2023 schedule, updates for the LEC format, the status of player welfare, wishes for 2023, and more.

1
The State of CS:GO: 2022 in Review (feat. YNk) 2:46:52

1+ y ago2:46:52

2:46:52

Janko "YNk" Paunović, broadcast analyst and coach, joins the the Horsemen to review 2022 in CS:GO esports, discuss the current meta issues with the game, whether Counter-Strike should eliminate pistol rounds and move to MR12, the ESIC controversies, the purchase of ESL and Faceit by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund, changes that need to be m…

1
G2 Carlos parties with Andrew Tate / Esports ethics (feat. Lauren Flanagan) 1:56:51

2y ago1:56:51

1:56:51

Lauren Flanagan, agent from OneTeam Partners, joins the show to discuss Carlos from G2's party with Andrew Tate, the esports industry's reaction to the tweets, the ramifications of the posts on the G2 org, the major ethical issues that continue to plague the industry, the lack of ethical money in the space, and more.…

1
DDK and Sean Gares quit casting / Why casters leave esports (feat. Uber) 2:55:28

2+ y ago2:55:28

2:55:28

Mitch "Uber" Leslie, Overwatch League caster, joins the show to discuss the surprising casting resignation of veteran commentators Sean Gares and DDK, the state of VALORANT casting as a whole, why casters feel that no esport offers career advancement, what companies need to do to retain casters, and more.…

1
TSM coach Peter Zhang fired for conflict of interest (feat. Barry Lee) 2:48:45

2+ y ago2:48:45

2:48:45

Barry Lee, former agent and current advisor to Evolved Talent, joins the show to discuss the allegations against TSM coach Peter Zhang, the role of player agents in the broader League of Legends and esports ecosystems, conflicts of interest in esports, and more.

1
LCS Players' Association Strengthens / Future union? (feat. Phil Aram) 3:00:38

2+ y ago3:00:38

3:00:38

Phillip Aram, executive director of the LCS Players' Association, joins the show to discuss the announcement of the LCS PA's new naming, image, and likeness deal with the players, their partnership with OneTeam, the state of the LCS PA, their future plans, and more.

1
The ESL/FACEIT merger; Saudi esports investment (feat. Mik Attisani) 2:33:07

2+ y ago2:33:07

2:33:07

Mik Attisani, CBO of FACEIT, joins the show to discuss the merger of FACEIT and ESL, the investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), the new company's goals in Counter-Strike and other titles, the focus on grassroots initiatives, the state of monetization in esports, and more.

1
VALORANT's NA LCQ DISASTER; What went wrong? (feat. George Geddes) 2:59:55

3y ago2:59:55

2:59:55

George Geddes, reporter for the Upcomer, joins the show to discuss the events surrounding the VALORANT North American Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) tournament, the PC and internet issues at the event, the COVID testing problems, tournament rescheduling, and more.

1
HUNDEN's Heroic Hijinks; Cheating Scandal Continues (feat. DAVEY) 2:03:33

3y ago2:03:33

2:03:33

David "DAVEY" Stafford, professional CS:GO player, joins the show to discuss Hunden's cheating using the coach bug, Heroic's attempts to NDA their players, Hunden accusing his players of knowing about the cheating while it was occurring, the ongoing ESIC investigation, and more.

1
ANALYZING Activision-Blizzard's Discrimination Lawsuit (feat. Krista Hiner) 2:43:30

3y ago2:43:30

2:43:30

Krista Hiner, lawyer for ESG Law, joins the show to discuss Activision-Blizzard's gender discrimination lawsuit filed by the state of California, the state of sexual harassment across the video game industry, the ramifications of the government lawsuit, and ways to limit discrimination in the future.…

1
Riot's NEW Press Problems and Spineless Esports Media (feat. Jacob Wolf) 3:37:30

3y ago3:37:30

3:37:30

Jacob Wolf, journalist for Dot Esports, joins the show to discuss Riot's history of press relations, Travis Gafford's recent video on pre-submitted questions for press conferences, and Riot's PR policies.

1
What went WRONG with the CSGO RMRs? (feat. GoMeZ) 3:09:30

3y ago3:09:30

3:09:30

Chris "GoMez" Orfanellis, manager of Order and expert on team management and game network issues, joins the show to discuss the rulings and competitive integrity of the EU and CIS RMR tournaments in CSGO.

1
What is the ESPORTS CERTIFICATE? (feat. Sebastian Park) 3:22:33

3+ y ago3:22:33

3:22:33

Sebastian Park, founder of the Esports Certification Institute and former general manager of esports team Clutch Gaming, joins the show to discuss the goals of his project, the Esports Certificate, hiring problems in the esports industry, and more.

1
VALORANT 100 Thieves coach Frost sanctioned by Riot (feat. Sideshow) 2:00:23

3+ y ago2:00:23

2:00:23

Josh "Sideshow" Wilkinson, OWL caster and VALORANT streamer, joins the show to discuss Riot's punishment against 100Thieves coach Frost for berating a tournament admin about his team's server and ping in their VALORANT match against Immortals.

1
What do the OWL and CDL layoffs MEAN? (feat. DoA) 2:27:04

3+ y ago2:27:04

2:27:04

Erik "DoA" Lonnquist, former OWL caster, joins the show to discuss the recent OWL and CDL layoffs by Activision-Blizzard and what they mean for the future of those leagues.

1
Should LCS REMOVE player REGION LOCKING? - (feat. Danan) 3:01:06

3+ y ago3:01:06

3:01:06

Danan, the general manager of the Golden Guardians LCS team, joins the show to discuss player region-locking in the LCS and whether it should be removed.

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