League of Legends developer Riot Games has announced on Twitter that fan-favorite LCS color commentator Joshua “Jatt” Leesman has returned to broadcasting. The tweet included a short video showing Jatt walking into the LCS studio with the message “He’s back.”
Jatt himself would confirm the post with a tweet of his own.
“I’ll be back on the LCS full-time starting this Saturday. Casting the first 3 games,” Jatt said.
There has been no official statement on why Jatt has returned to casting. The longtime Riot employee left the role just six months ago. Jatt himself may reveal more information during the upcoming LCS broadcast, or perhaps on the next episode of The Dive podcast.
Jatt was hired in 2011 and quickly became a popular caster for Riot, as his deep analysis both on commentary and in desk segments made him one of the top casters in either the LCS or LEC. It came as a shock to many when in January 2019 Jatt announced that he was stepping away from casting to take up a role within the League of Legends balance team.
The Reddit post discussing his return has reached the top of the League of Legends subreddit and at the time of this writing has received over 8,000 upvotes. The vast majority of messages are showing support and excitement for his return, emphasizing the popularity and respect that Jatt has earned from the community. Jatt has, thus far, not personally responded to any messages on the thread.
Jatt has been a caster at every World Championship in League of Legends since Season 2 in 2012. It is possible that the lure of casting the 2019 World Championship tournament was enough to tempt him to put the headset back on. It may also be that Riot asked Jatt to return to live broadcasting.
The LCS returns for week 7 on July 20, kicking off with Cloud9 vs 100 Thieves
