One of the most familiar faces of the North American League of Legends is saying goodbye to the scene.
2023 is more and more looking like a year of massive changes. Unfortunately for North American LoL fans, these changes are scarier than the rest of the regions. We learned about the league moving to weekdays in the middle of December, with the broadcast hours, starting at 12PM PT, drawing massive criticism among the fans.
But it looks like broadcast days and hours won’t be the only difference in the LCS in 2023, with multiple members of the team announcing their departures from the league. Julian “Pastrytime” Carr was the first caster to announce his retirement just after his last cast at Worlds 2022 Play-Ins, with David “Phreak” Turley following at the start of December. Phreak had joined the Riot’s Summoner’s Rift Balance Team after he retired from shoutcasting. And now, LCS’s main host since he joined Riot back in 2014, James “Dash” Patterson is also leaving the LCS stage, although maybe in a less permanent manner.
— James Dash (@JamesDash) January 3, 2023
In the statement Dash made on his Twitter page said that he is leaving the broadcast as “…the new direction of LCS doesn’t need for a consistent host.” It sounds like LCS might either be planning to not have a host for their desk in 2023, or use multiple personnel in a rotating roster. Aside from his main host duties, Dash also appeared in other LCS projects such as the Bud Light League Lounge after-show and the long-running Youtube series This or That, along with Sam “Kobe” Hartman-Kenzler.
Dash also livestreamed on Twitch after the announcement to answer some questions from fans. He stated that although the decision was made by the Riot, he respected their decision and would be open to working with the company in the future. The timing of the separation is also interesting as it happened in August 2022. Dash said he knew he wouldn’t have his job for much longer, even as he accepted an award for his excellence at the said job. Dash had won the Host of the Year for his work with Riot Games just last month.
