Team Liquid verhuist naar Seoul

Volgens de officiële aankondiging gaat Team Liquid bijna volledig verhuizen naar Seoul (Korea), de hoofdstad van de eSports.

Nagenoeg het volledige Team Liquid zal verhuizen naar Seoul. De Nederlander Victor 'Nazgul' Goossens zal als eerste zijn valies pakken want hij vertrekt 22 augustus reeds naar Korea. In de dagen die volgen zullen de Zweed Jonathan 'Jinro' Walsh alsook Duits zwaargewicht Dario 'TLO' Wünsch hun koffers maken en naar Azië vertrekken. Hayder 'Haypro' Hussein volgt enkele maanden later. De Amerikaan Tyler 'Tyler' Wasieleski heeft echter besloten zijn gaming carriëre vanuit zijn thuisland verder te zetten. Hij blijft dus als enige achter.

Het managament van TLAF-Liquid heeft besloten naar Korea te gaan na enkele positieve gesprekken met de Koreaanse clan oGs waarin ze het er mee eens waren dat beide teams de vruchten zouden plukken van een samenwerking. Eens daar aangekomen zullen ze allen verblijven in het LAN-huis van de oGs waar ze het gaan opnemen tegen de oGs spelers bij wijze van oefening.

Het doet echter ook vermoeden dat een tweede grote reden voor de herlocatie het opkomende GSL (Global StarCraft II League) toernooi is. Bij dit toernooi, dat de naam StarCraft 2 Open meekreeg, valt er namelijk een grote som geld te winnen (ongeveer $170.000). Het begin van dit toernooi is gepland voor 28 augustus, wat de mannen van Team Liquid slechts enkele dagen geeft om zich aan te passen aan hun nieuwe omgeving.

Aangezien TLO door deze verhuis niet kan deelnemen aan de lang verwachte start van het EPS seizoen is er een last-minute kwalificatie ronde opgesteld om het gaatje te vullen dat onze Duitse vriend veroorzaakt.

De herlocatie is mede mogelijk gemaakt door een nieuwe sponsor die Team Liquid heeft weten te strikken. The Little App Factory of kortweg TLAF is een bedrijfje dat applicaties maakt voor zowel de PC als Macintosh besturingssytemen. Zonder hen zou dit niet mogelijk geweest zijn, aldus het management.

Hieronder een interview met enkele spelers van Team Liquid:

Hi Victor, Jonathan, Dario and Hayder! We're gathered here today on the eve of one of Team Liquid's most exciting announcements. How does it feel to be at the center of all of this?

TLAF-Liquid`Jinro: At times terrifying, but mostly exhilarating! It's something I've wanted to do for a long time.

TLAF-Liquid`TLO: It feels almost unreal, as this has been a long imagined dream. And now it seems to come true for me.

TLAF-Liquid`Nazgul: Feels good. A lot of responsibility but I'm confident it's going to turn out great. And this is only the beginning I want the Liquid-oGs place to become a hub for foreign players who want to give progaming their best shot in the best possible setting.

TLAF-Liquid`Haypro: It feels really great! I've always wanted to go to Korea and and I wish I could go now with Dario, Jonathan and Victor but I can't because of personal reasons. However, I will be with them in the coming months.


Naz, you left Korea many years ago after a successful stint with a Broodwar proteam? Did you ever plan on going back? Did you ever think it'd be with your own team?

TLAF-Liquid`Nazgul: It had never occurred to me until not too long ago. We only recently got this thing rolling but so much is happening in such a short period. First the Beta hit and we managed to expand the team with amazing players, then we found a sponsor, and so fast after we're already going to Korea to establish a Liquid-oGs place. It's been a storm of big developments.


Dario and Jonathan, as Broodwar players, you guys have watched Korean progaming from a distant for years. Apart from playing the GSL and training in a professional environment, what are you most looking forward to about Korea?

TLAF-Liquid`Jinro: Honestly, I haven't really given much thought to anything about Korea beyond the gaming part. Hopefully I'll be able to meet up with some of the people I played with during my brood war days, and of course I want to catch some live SC1.

TLAF-Liquid`TLO: I am looking forward to get in touch with Korean culture, because E-Sports aside I am also a big fan of Korea. So I hope I will have some time to explore the country besides gaming. I frequently eat Korean food and very much enjoy Kpop, YEAH! Also I will have an easier time finding clothes in my size!

This will be the first time the both of you will be living in a team house. What are your thoughts on this new way of living you'll experience soon?

TLAF-Liquid`TLO: It will be hard to adapt at first I am sure. But there is so much to gain from it, the fact that Jinro will be there too helps a lot I think. Its good to have someone you can speak with. However, I will try to learn Korean. Not sure how hard it will be though.

TLAF-Liquid`Jinro: My biggest worry is being thrown out after I throw a pillow at someone in my sleep really... Other than that, as TLO said, having someone else there I think is gonna make it easier. Also, I've heard that Spunky's English is excellent, which should help things out a lot, as my Korean is fairly basic at the moment.


So Jinro, Dario and Haypro - you guys are going to be living and playing together with oGs in the months to come. That means playing with the likes of Cool, ensnare and Tester. How much are you looking forward to this?

TLAF-Liquid`Jinro: A lot, definitely. I'm looking forward to learning from them, as many of those guys have tonnes of progaming experience. Also, once my Korean improves I'll finally be able to accept TheStc's challenge to a rap battle. He probably doesn't remember but he challenged me and Midian to a rap battle on Bnet, like four years ago when he had had one too many!

TLAF-Liquid`TLO: I think there we are getting the best opportunity possible to improve our playstyle. I have faced Tester once in the KoTBH and now I will get the chance to play with him many more times - that's AWESOME. We will probably be the underdogs over there, but that's a good base to start from.

TLAF-Liquid`Haypro: Ah, this is gonna be great. Some of those guys have been progamers for a long time and will help us adapt to the new playing conditions. Also, it will be great to be in the same house as so many good players. I'm really look forward to it!


Nazgul, you've been down this road before. If there was one piece of advice you could give these guys, what would it be?

TLAF-Liquid`Nazgul: To really give it their all and not have second thoughts. Down the road you want to be sure you did everything you could no matter whether it turned out successful or not. Adjusting to Korean culture isn't very hard if you're just open to it, so open yourself up and have the time of your life!


Alright! Well, this goes without saying, but TL is gonna be behind you guys all the way. Is there anything you'd like to say to the community as they wait for you guys to board your planes?

TLAF-Liquid`TLO: In the end it is you that made this possible. I will never forget that and try to represent TL as best as I can. We'll stay in touch I am sure, TL HWAITING!

TLAF-Liquid`Jinro: Even at this early stage of the games history, Korea remains the Mecca of competitive game; going over there to play is like going to the states for the NBA or NHL. As such, I'll do my best to represent TL and the non-Korean community as well as possible, and hopefully at one point we'll have some TL-made cheerfuls on TV!