Astute fans of the LCS noticed that something was missing when the 2019 season kicked off last weekend. No, it wasn’t TSM’s late game. Popular color caster and analyst Joshua “Jatt” Leesman wasn’t in the studio.
Now we know why. On tonight’s episode of The Dive podcast, Jatt revealed that he’s leaving the production team and moving over to become a game designer on the balance team. He also confirmed the news on his Twitter account.
Jatt has been working in the casting booth and on the analyst desk since before the creation of the LCS in 2013. His well-reasoned takes have become something longtime fans of the cast have grown to love. On the podcast, he and fellow color caster Sam “Kobe” Hartman-Kenzler reminisced about their seven-plus year relationship working together to support League esports around the world.
But Jatt’s original goal was always to become a game designer. He actually joined Riot in a quality assurance role years ago with an eye on design. But then Riot started its esports journey and as a former pro player, Jatt found himself uniquely positioned to offer a strong take on a game. Thus, he started a career as a caster that’s taken Jatt to major tournaments on multiple continents.
Today, Jatt is joined by a stable of strong casting talent, and that’s what made his decision to step away easier.
“I feel like we have a ton of good color casters now,” Jatt said on the podcast. “I realized I still really want to do game design.”
Wherever he goes, we’re sure Jatt will be missed when fans tune into the LCS in the future. And we hope he kicks butt on the balance team, because seriously Riot, what’s going on with Sylas?
