Recently returned Counter-Strike: Global Offensive caster Auguste “Semmler” Massonnat commented on the current state of the CSGO scene, and he isn’t pleased with what teams are showing him.
In an interview with HLTV, Semmler made it clear that he believes that CSGO players and tactics should be much farther along than they currently are. Semmler moved from CSGO casting to a permanent position at Activision Blizzard, where he now casts matches for the Overwatch League.
The veteran broadcast personality returned to CSGO casting in October with an appearance at StarSeries & i-League Season 8, to the delight of fans who had missed his enthusiastic shoutcasting. His biggest gripe is teams making borderline calls, especially when it came to hunting down opponents.
“It seems really weird to me. It’s been an interesting learning experience, coming back and deep-diving back into the meta. There’s so much potential for smart CS, I just don’t see a lot of these teams doing that,” Semmler said.
Semmler went on to question teams’ discipline when it came down to decisions that may seem small in the moment, but can have large impacts on the outcome of a match.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom from the famous caster, particularly when he talked about reuniting with Henry “HenryG” Greer during StarSeries. Semmler had nothing but positive things to say about his coworker, noting that while they are not a “casting duo,” their styles mesh well together.
Semmler went on to say that despite his moving to Overwatch, he still watches CSGO matches regularly, often casting them in his head as he watches. Semmler spent 2013 through 2017 exclusively casting Valve’s premiere first-person shooter before moving to the Overwatch League ahead of 2018.
He also discussed the difficulties of holding a full-time position at Activision Blizzard while having the freedom to cast the games that he wants.
“It’s harder for me now because I work with Blizzard and Overwatch League and there’s all that sort of stuff where PR is just jumping on you, but again, that’s a balance that I’m trying to find. I want to interact with the esports world where it’s total freedom, but then I still need to function in this business world,” Semmler said.
While Semmler hasn’t ruled out more CSGO casting in the future, it looks like the Overwatch League’s geolocation plan is working in his favor. Semmler insinuated that he plans to cast more CSGO games in the future, should his schedule allow it. The caster closed with a thank you to CSGO fans, referring to CSGO as his “home.”
“Thanks to everybody who has been sending messages, it does feel quite nice. It’s quite nice to be home for a bit, spend some time with everybody, and see the players, see everybody, it really does feel like coming home, so I really appreciate that,” Semmler said.
In addition to working StarSeries Season 8, Semmler also casted BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
