The folks at Beyond the Summit may have accidentally pulled back the curtain a bit on one of Dota 2’s strangest teams.
Arkosh Gaming has become one of Dota 2’s most intriguing squads thanks to the anonymous nature of the roster. But Beyond the Summit may have slipped when it comes to that anonymity as it seemingly revealed that one of the Arkosh Gaming players is, in reality, current caster and former pro player Brian “BSJ” Canavan.
During Arkosh Gaming’s match against Simply TOOBASED, one of the casters seemingly let it slip when he was making a call and caught himself short of actually naming BSJ, saying “oh my god, BS…wait.” He trails off before his co-host picks up and begins analyzing the game.
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The approximate name drop follows extended rumors that BSJ was involved with the team. Though there has been swirling speculation regarding who is playing on the team, BSJ has been the most consistently rumored member of the team.
The possible accidental reveal is a tad problematic for Arkosh Gaming. The team has been one of the top-drawing organizations involved in the North American Dota Pro Circuit leagues, with the mystery behind the lineup being a big part of that. While this is the closest fans have gotten to a reveal, there have been multiple rumors regarding the lineup behind the team in the past.
A long list of names have been rumored to be in Arkosh Gaming besides BSJ. Theories typically include a mix of journeyman pro players and former pros that currently work as casters and analysts.Â
One of the early theories involved casters BSJ, Austin “Capitalist” Walsh, and Andrew “Jenkins” Jenkins alongside pro players Jason “Newsham” Newsham and Shaggy. More recently, fans have speculated that Ioannis “Fogged” Loucas and Kevin “Purge” Godec may be involved with Arkosh Gaming. In one of the more wild talking points, fans theorized that Fogged and BSJ faked their recent visa troubles in order to continue to compete stateside under the Arkosh Gaming banner.
Arkosh Gaming is a novel concept in esports, but the team has been a constant source of controversy. The team’s invitation to BTS Pro Series Season 4 ahead of other more proven teams was particularly controversial, and was only worsened when Jake “SirActionSlacks” Kanner effectively reneged after betting the spot in the event on the outcome of a showmatch with a team led by Lucas “Luki Luki” Shanks. This was followed by competitive integrity questions over Arkosh Gaming hiding the team’s identities while everyone else was on-record.
Arkosh Gaming is a fun gimmick that has clearly resonated with fans, but the jump from novelty act to actual esports competitor has not gone smoothly. Still, the team seems to be here to stay.
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