Texan Zack aka “Asmongold” is one of the biggest and most influential MMORPG streamers on Twitch. Thousands of fans watch him complain about Blizzard – and that’s exactly why he’s so important to the gaming studio, says a former Blizzard employee.
What is Asmongold’s relationship with Blizzard? The Twitch streamer has a kind of love-hate relationship with Blizzard. He’s been playing WoW for years and has built his career playing and talking about the MMORPG. Nevertheless, the Texan is one of the harshest critics and the first to complain when something doesn’t go as it should.
Asmongold always shares his opinion with his thousands of fans. Conversely, much less is known about how people at Blizzard actually think about Asmongold and his Twitch colleagues. However, a former employee provides insight.
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What kind of employee is this? Jason Hall worked for Blizzard for 6 years, is now an indie developer and is active on Twitch himself. On the streaming platform he talks about his experiences in the games industry and is also critical of his former employer.
In a stream, a viewer wanted to know what Blizzard actually thought about Asmongold and streamers like him. In 2016, when Hall left the company, Asmongold had just 3,000 viewers and was still far from being considered an authority on all things MMORPGs and Blizzard.
Still, the developer had a few things to say about the streamer. You can listen to what exactly that is here:
This is why Asmongold is important for Blizzard: As Hall explains, Asmongold is a polarizing figure. Some would appreciate him very much, others couldn’t stand him. He himself always liked the streamer, and for one reason: Asmongold is basically the prototypical MMORPG player.
“Asmongold is the consumer. Asmongold is the player. Asmongold is everyone,” says Hall. He says: If you as a developer don’t listen to Asmongold, then you don’t listen to your community either. However, that wouldn’t mean that you have to do everything the Twitch streamer asks.
However, if you forget that Asmongold is the voice of the people, then you do so at your own risk, Hall concludes.
The developer adds: Many people couldn’t stand Asmongold because he just complained. But if the streamer complains, it’s because the players are angry, says Hall. They wouldn’t watch him if they didn’t agree with him.
Hall himself says he would look at Asmongold’s content, even if he doesn’t always agree. Because even if the player base had the wrong impression of what was happening, it would be useful for a developer to know their perception.
The streamer has cultivated this reputation as a prototypical MMORPG nerd over the years. It is not always clear to the audience where the role of “Asmongold” ends and the “real” Zack begins. And for the 32-year-old himself, the separation doesn’t always seem to be so easy.