[jwplayer 3EyfiByz]Henry ‘HenryG’ Greer, a veteran CS:GO commentator, has officially announced his retirement from casting after building a six-year resume filled with over 150 live events, including 10 majors and an “Esports Broadcaster of the Year” award.
In a somewhat somber, strikingly genuine announcement interview with DBLTAP, HenryG touches on why his retirement is coming so suddenly and what possibilities lie on his horizon. Essentially, his thoughts of stepping back from live commentary met their breaking point in recent weeks, as the hectic CS:GO schedule left him burnt out and interested in moving on.
It comes with the heaviest of hearts, that today, I am announcing my retirement from Esports commentary. 6 years. 150+ live events. 10 Majors.
Countless memories. Thank you so much for listening.
Please read my interview with @Dekay: https://t.co/GX30kMbugv
— HenryG (@HenryGcsgo) September 4, 2020
“The older I get and as the years seem to flash by, I realize that the pace of the job is getting almost too much for me,” he said. “The quality level of commentating I could once always deliver is slowly slipping out of my grasp … The one real regret I will carry around for me for the rest of my days, due to this period in my life – is how distant and jaded I became due to the unfathomable workload and constant stress of being on camera almost every single day of my life.”
As HenryG explains in his interview, the relentless Counter-Strike event schedule (or as he calls it, “the never-ending traveling circus of CS:GO”) took its toll on him, and he found himself struggling to maintain both his work and his personal life. The recent switch to online play provided no solace, as he remarks that the unfortunate situation has “gutted” him of his chance to retire following an initial “road map.”
🥳 Happy birthday to Counter-Strikes finest 🇬🇧 @HenryGcsgo! It's been quite the journey since you casted your first Major at #ESLOne Cologne 2015!
Keep at it King 👑 pic.twitter.com/OO4YIVXCqP
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 22, 2020
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Should say as well… I share many of the same sentiments he expressed in his interview with dekay which is well worth reading. CSGO commentary hasn't been a healthy lifestyle for years but the problem is that there is no change in sight
— Jason O'Toole (@MosesGG) September 4, 2020
Members in the CS:GO community are all too familiar with the exhausting, frenetic schedule of events that, particularly in the online era, have allowed little to no time for breathing room. As mentioned by Jason ‘Moses’ O’Toole in his Dexerto column, “our schedule in the professional scene for the past three, four years has been a clusterf**k. For all talent, players, and teams, we just have way too many tournaments and are stretching ourselves way too thin.”
Unsurprisingly, HenryG is one of the largest chips to fall, having been one of the scene’s most prominent casters and an inevitably stretched broadcasting commodity.
On the bright side, this retirement comes on the tail-end of a massive legacy and allows him to prioritize both his personal relationships, mental wellbeing – and his next project, which he is describing as “a colossal one for the CS:GO community.” The announcement of said project will come on September 7, and fans are already eager to see what their refreshed, renowned caster, has been cooking up.