Enjoy our exclusive interview with Tobias "TheNameIsToby" Wiinblad, an esports caster from the world of PUBG. We talked about his inspirations, his favorite moments while casting, and his hopes for the future of the esport.
TheNameIsToby has been casting PUBG since 2017, and since that time he's become one of the most renowned and popular casters in the scene. We were lucky enough to be able to sit down with him recently and go over his career as a caster.
Here is our exclusive interview with TheNameIsToby.
Interview With TheNameIsToby
What inspired you to get into casting PUBG?
I started out my casting career in Counter Strike back in 2015 and had a great time with that, but when PUBG was released and a friend introduced me to it, I found myself playing PUBG all the time and not really caring for CSGO all that much anymore. I loved the fact that no two matches played out the same and that the game had so much depth (in terms of rotations, positioning etc.) for you to learn. Therefore, I realized that, since my love for Counter Strike had has dwindled and my newfound passion was PUBG, it’d only make sense that I also gave casting it a try!
What is your most memorable experience from your time as a PUBG caster?
There are quite a few to choose from. Two of the biggest ones I’d say were casting the match that the Thai team won at PUBG Nations Cup 2022. It was the first time for me ever casting PUBG in front of a live crowd of that size, and hearing the roars of the fans as Thailand won the match was absolutely amazing. The other one wasback in my early days of casting PUBG: I casted the online qualifiers for IEM back in 2017. At the time I had a small following on twitch (around 200 followers) and little did I know that I was about to cast a lobby that had 3 of the biggest eastern European PUBG teams at the time, Avangar, Team Spirit & Grubie. A few minutes into my cast I got hosted by 3 other channels, which took my viewership from 10 people to over 4000, and I remember seeing that I was the current most viewed channel under the PUBG category on twitch. After that weekend I went from 200 followers to over 2500 and was left with a feeling “wow, you made it - Now the sky is the limit!".
How do you handle pressure during high-tension phases of the game?
Two things I think help me in high pressure situations:1. Having played and casted PUBG a LOT. Having an idea of what is about to happen (depending on the circles, which teams are alive etc), usually helps me keep somewhat calm, even in high pressure situations, because I have a good idea of how the match will turn out. Having said that, I do also sometimes get surprised by the outcome, which is when you will normally hear me burst out a WHAAAT, because I did not see something coming.2. Relying on my ability as a commentator. Knowing that I have the capabilities to cast wild matches (having both failed and succeeded a lot in the past), helps me keep calm in wild situations.
How do you ensure your commentary adds value to the experience?
I have always prided myself with my ability to not only cater to the people who have followed PUBG for a long time, but also cater to newer viewers. While I enjoy deepdiving into how and why a team made a certain rotation, I also have to keep in mind that some of the viewers might not even know what a “rotation” is to begin with. So one of my main focuses with my casting is to always make sure that the viewer, regardless of knowledge of the game, goes away from a viewing experience having learned something about the game or about a team that they didn’t know prior. This is where I believe my value comes in the best.
How do you handle situations where a co-commentator disagrees with your analysis?
I think disagreeing is important when working with other people. Some times you can get in your head that what you thought of a situation is the only correct way of thinking about it, but because you haven’t discussed your view with anyone else, you don’t see other perspectives. That’s where having a co-commentator can come in handy, with a fresh set of eyes and another perspective. As long as the disagreement makes for discussion and isn’t just a “NO YOU’RE WRONG!”, I think it can add to the value of the conversation.
Do you think PUBG esports still has a bright future or are we in need of some kind of evolution of the franchise, a “PUBG 2” if you will?
Had you asked me before PGC2023 I think I would’ve said that PUBG definitely needed something along the lines of PUBG 2 to really put itself back on the map. But having seen the increasing viewership throughout 2023 and then the big spike of PGC, I am a fond believer that, if marketed and promoted correctly, PUBG can stay on the same trajectory and climb back to the top. But it requires striking while the iron is hot. Which it is right now!
Our thanks again to TheNameIsToby, we can't wait to tune in for all the action coming in 2024!