Berlin Major tackles observer problems by bringing in Sliggy

StarLadder is taking some new measures to deal with lingering production issues at the Berlin Major.

Seasoned Counter-Strike: Global Offensive observer Connor “Sliggy” Blomfield has announced that he is headed to Germany as a late addition to the StarLadder production team. He revealed the news on Twitter.

“Happy to announce I am observing at the StarLadder CSGO Major. I will give it everything I’ve got,” Sliggy said.

This is likely welcome news for most CSGO fans.

The StarLadder Berlin Major has come under fire for a number of reasons, with one of the topics of discussion being spotty work from the observers. Several games have seen important plays develop off-camera, which often gives fans an uneven vantage point on how a round is playing out. This has added to an already tumultuous start to the biggest Counter-Strike tournament of the season.

Reports have stated this stems from StarLadder’s hiring of observers with minimal experience in CSGO, inexplicably opting to work with talent sourced from PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds at one of the biggest CSGO events of the year.

While there are many observers who are capable of doing strong work in multiple games, the team working at the Berlin Major got off to a rocky start and never smoothed things out. This drew criticism from a number of Counter-Strike personalities, most notably Natus Vincere player Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev.

Sliggy was among those who criticized StarLadder’s decision to work with untested talent for such a large event, calling it “disrespectful” to himself and other seasoned observers.

While fans might not be familiar with Sliggy’s name they have likely seen his work at one point or another. The British former Counter-Strike: Source player has worked as an observer for tournaments hosted by ESL, RFRSH, and many more. He works most closely with the Esports Championship Series, but has also played a role in the production of the FACEIT Major: London and the IEM Katowice Major.

Though Sliggy missed the Challengers Stage, there are still three rounds in the Berlin Major’s Legends Stage remaining. The Champions Stage playoffs begin on September 5.