The days leading up to a Major always feel magical. The entire scene talks about nothing else, and the excitement builds with every hour. This time, however, the buildup ended up being better than the actual start.
No audio, missing gameplay sound, power outages and repeated technical issues have overshadowed the opening day of the StarLadder Budapest Major.
The problems
The day got off to a rough start when the A-stream had no audio for the desk segments on both YouTube and Twitch. The issue carried into the matches, where only in-game sound was available. When the commentary finally returned, the audio mix was a mess, with the game volume drowning out everything else.
A clip from OhnePixel’s co-stream shows just how poor the production looked, even while matches were underway.
While several issues were gradually addressed, the worst was still ahead. Both streams suddenly switched to a “We will be right back” screen for roughly one and a half hours due to a power outage, according to SPUNJ on broadcast.
The FaZe vs Lynn Vision match had just begun when the interruption occurred, and fnatic vs RED Canids was moments from going live. Instead, viewers were left with a ninety-minute technical pause without updates or communication.
When broadcasts resumed, a new problem appeared. The fnatic vs RED Canids match was mistakenly shown on both streams rather than only the B-stream.
What happens next is unclear. One full round of matches is still scheduled for today, and it already looks like a very long day ahead for the teams and players.
