WoW: Method and Limit on the state and future of world-first streaming

For a long time, PvE in WoW had an absolutely niche existence in esports. It wasn't until the Mythic Dungeon Internationals organized by Blizzard and ultimately the live streams of the World First Race, which was broadcast by the guilds themselves, that the non-PvP aspect of World of Warcraft became a viewer magnet on Twitch. This was due in part to the fact that guilds like Method and Limit no longer simply broadcast the perspective of one or more raiders, but instead provide 24-hour coverage of the event with various moderators, experts, and background information. This gives viewers a better insight into the race and a better understanding of why the guilds make the decisions they do. In addition, less experienced viewers will also get simpler facts explained well, which makes the events more accessible to players who may have little or no experience in raiding or even WoW in general.

The website Dot Esports recently spoke with both Max, the guild leader of Limit, and Sascha Steffens, the co-owner of Method, about the differences and the future of these events. Some interesting information came to light.

• Although Method clearly lost the current race for the World First in Ny'alotha, the number of spectators has increased again. This makes Method happy. This is because they wanted a tougher competition and at the same time hoped that this would not hurt viewership.
• It was also considered whether an event that shows and treats all the top guilds would make sense. However, Method had tried in the past to accommodate multiple guilds in one stream, which was not well received by viewers. The individual guilds would be shortchanged, which would probably not please the respective fans of the guilds.
• The fact that Method, contrary to the opponent Limit, did not transmit the communication between the players has its reasons and will probably not change much in the future. They want to protect the privacy of the players and they shouldn't have to concentrate on not saying anything that might be against Twitch's guidelines or might piss off one of the sponsors. However, we may see some communication presented at future events. Perhaps only in special time slots, as is the case in many Esport events.
• Limit, on the other hand, has chosen to broadcast all communications and will continue to do so. This not only gives a deeper insight, but also makes event planning easier. Because there is less time to be filled by presenters or by other things in that case.
• However, neither team can imagine doing without moderators. They would give viewers a much better insight into the race than the players ever could during the stream. This is especially true for the kind of viewers who aren't involved in mythic raids themselves.
• A not-so-insignificant factor is also the sponsors, whose advertising can be better presented by the presenters and who ultimately provide a major part of the funding for such an event.
• In addition, both sides agree that the events are far from perfect. Therefore, both guilds are working in the background on how to offer the spectators an even better experience - but without already revealing plans or details for upcoming events.

What do you think about the World First Race and the broadcast - did you enjoy watching it or are you not interested at all? What can the guilds do better in your eyes or what should they rather leave out in the future?

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