Nathaniel ‘Nathanias’ Fabrikant. If there has ever been a more perfect name for a StarCraft 2 caster and American Terran diehard, then I haven’t heard it. Nathanias is an absolute staple in the SC2 scene, casting some of its biggest events, as well as creating his own personalized and unique tournaments such as the Kappa Starleague which brought attention to SC2’s 2v2 gameplay. Nathanias managed to establish a name for himself at the peak of SC2’s popularity, competing for viewership in Twitch’s most streamed and watched game at the time. His story of perseverance and success serves as a reminder that anything is possible in the world of esports.

2017 has seen far less of Nathanias in SC2, though. Having dabbled in Overwatch esports and games like Rainbow 6 and H1Z1, Nathanias was clearly branching out from his mainstay title. Early in the year, he released a vlog, talking about his 2016 experience and plans for 2017. Nathanias announced that he would be taking a step back from casting and focusing primarily on building his stream. Still open to casting North American events, Nate remains a large part of the SC2 scene, frequently streaming the game, casting online tournaments,  any offline events that strike his interest, and of course Nate is still a regular face on /r/starcraft.

I had the opportunity to talk to Nathanias about his various projects, his frustrations with Blizzard, and his plans for the future.

1:44 – What was it like rising in SC2’s popularity peak?

3:03 – You didn’t initially set out to become a caster. How did you transition from focusing on playing the game to casting the game?

4:40 – When you became established in SC2, lots of your peers were leaving the scene to go to Heroes, League, or another title. Did you ever think that you should follow them?

7:24 – StarCraft Remastered is the big story in the scene right now. What are your views on SCR?

9:32 – Will SCR esports overtake SC2 esports?

12:34 – David Kim, the face of the SC2 balance team, has departed from SC2. Can we learn anything about SC2’s future from this announcement?

15:16 – You’ve been fairly public about some of the issues that you’ve experienced with Blizzard. Can you tell us the whole story?

19:55 – What’s your current relationship with Blizzard?

22:10 – You had a foray into Overwatch esports but you’ve since backed away. Tell us about your experience in Overwatch.

24:30 – You’ve also taken an interest in Rainbow 6 Siege, H1Z1, and Player Unknown Battlegrounds. Do you have any plans for those games?

27:57 – You’ve taken a step away from casting and you’ve been focusing on streaming. Tell us about the challenges that you’re facing with this transition.

34:00 – Do you consider casting SC2 to be separate from playing/streaming SC2, or has the mentality that you’ve been experiencing been affecting both?

39:33 – Fan Questions: UncannyDerek asks ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’

42:11 – HardRevenge asks ‘People still refer to you as “salty Nate”, what caused your stream to transition from that point to what it is today?’

48:28 – My most asked fan question for you was something about fast mutas. You’ve developed a personality of being a real dank memer. How did you develop this persona?

53:09 – What advice would you give to anyone trying to rise in the world of streaming?

If you enjoyed this piece, follow the interviewer at @CyanEsports on Twitter.

Follow Nathanias at @nathaniastv.