Shroud Breaks His Silence On New Streaming Organization
On Oct. 11, popular streamer Asmongold announced the formation of One True King (OTK), a new organization and content production team featuring the talents of Mizkif, Esfand, Tips Out, and Rich Campbell. The news was preceded by a build-up on the streamers' Twitter profiles, before finally culminating in an epic video which officially brought the new company to light.
The members of One True King got together on Twitch for a live stream shortly after the announcement, answering questions and filling fans in on what had happened with the company up to that point. It was a relaxed event with plenty of jokes and easy-going conversation, and the streamers wore OTK t-shirts, ate pizza, and sipped leisurely on Capri Sun pouches.
During the live stream, the organization's founders stated they are still looking for sponsors, and cleared up the confusion as to whether One True King is strictly a World of Warcraft organization (it's not). They later revealed they plan on being "selective" about who joins the team and the games it gets involved with.
As One True King is still in its beginning stages, fans have voiced a lot of questions regarding the organization, including who else will join. One individual you should not expect to see on the OTK roster is Shroud, who laid out his feelings on the topic during his own live stream.
A popular gaming personality with over 8 million followers on Twitch, Shroud played Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professionally with esports team Cloud9, but retired in 2018 to join the growing ranks of pro gamers turned full-time streamers. Shroud made the move to Mixer — the Microsoft-owned streaming platform — back in October 2019, but after Mixer went belly-up in June 2020, Shroud returned to streaming on Twitch the following month.
When asked during an Oct. 11 live stream if he planned to join the One True King team, Shroud responded bluntly: "No. No. No." He did reveal that he might be willing to make an appearance with the group, but would not become an official part of the roster. It seems his goals and interests don't line up with those of One True King, and it is a "different path" than what Shroud wishes to explore.
While these statements seem reasonable, some may wonder whether Shroud has personal issues with certain members of One True King. After all, Shroud has gone head-to-head with Esfand in World of Warcraft, and Mizkif blocked Shroud on Twitter earlier in the year after Shroud trashed his Minecraft skills. It appears Shroud admires Asmongold, however, as he has praised the streamer's World of Warcraft skills and knowledge on Twitter.
While Shroud has made his position clear, the situation raises another question — would One True King even want Shroud on their side?
In One True King's initial live stream on Twitch, the founders stated they wanted to be careful regarding who they recruit. Esfand confessed they were already turning interested people away, and had received messages from a number of well-known streamers. So far, the confirmed members of OTK are Trill, Cdew, Mes, and Samiyam — all World of Warcraft pros, despite the organization's statement that their games are not restricted to WoW.
One True King's exclusivity may just depend on your connections. According to the One True King announcement video, Asmongold and Rich Campbell centered the idea of the new organization around bringing their friends together and spending time with one another. Esfand was included within that friend circle, as was Tips Out. As for Miskif's involvement, Asmongold said in the One True King live stream that he was a fan of Mizkif's work, and thought that his contribution would be beneficial to OTK's future.
So, what does this say about One True King and its choices regarding who gets to be a part of the new venture and who doesn't? Does Shroud have a personal beef with some of the founding members? Or does the "BFF" dynamic leave streamers like Shroud feeling a bit like an outsider?
Whatever the reason, Shroud has established that he has no intention of joining One True King. Given the history at play, it seems unlikely OTK would invite him to the party anyway.