One of the most infamous personalities in the world of gaming is that of Rod “Slasher” Breslau. Known for his no holds barred approach to investigating and reporting, Slasher has become a reliable news source to many in the industry. During our E4 celebration here at Shacknews, Slasher stopped by to chat with us at length about a multitude of subjects. One of the topics we discussed was the coronavirus pandemic and how it’s impacted the gaming world, specifically esports.

The COVID-19 crisis has had a profound effect on the video game industry at large. We’ve seen a countless number of projects get delayed, as well as most in-person events get straight up cancelled. Outside of the industry, sporting leagues around the world were shut down as stay-at-home orders were issued and social distancing practices were put in place. In light of this, many have turned to esports for live entertainment. Several esports events have seen surges in popularity as a result of this.

In the video above, Rod speaks to how some games that are typically played professionally in-person will suffer from the transition to an online format. “There are players that are really good in person, but that can’t do s*** online because the game is just not the same.” Slasher said. This will surely lead to unexpected results in competitions, and will likely frustrate many players. This could also lead to less popular titles, such as Killer Instinct, rising in popularity due to having a better netcode than some of the bigger competitive games. 

This video is just a small slice of the full 2-hour interview with Rod “Slasher” Breslau, which can be viewed in its entirety here. Subscribe to Shacknews on YouTube and follow us on Twitch for more exclusive interviews.