Statistically Unmatched

“It’s championship Sunday here in Alpharetta, Georgia...”

Those were the first words fans heard before the start of the 2021 Smite Pro League World Championship Finals between the Tartarus Titans and the Atlantis Leviathans. A grueling year-long battle for league dominance came to a best of five set to settle the debate of who deserved to hoist the championship trophy. Although, that voice leading the analysis table had also been on quite the journey to the top of his game.

William Newberry is an Esports Commentator and Analyst for the competitive video game Smite. But for fans of the game, he is better known by his in-game title “GoreMiser,” but often goes by “Gore” for short. At twenty-eight years old Gore is one of the most recognizable voices in the professional Smite scene. Oftentimes being seen behind the analysis desk breaking down matchups, in the broadcasting booth commentating live professional games, or perusing Twitter bestowing his followers with a new statistic or insight into upcoming sets. To get to where he’s at now, there needed to be a realization moment for Gore and his future aspirations.

In 2015, the Smite Pro League held its first World Championship tournament. An eight-team elimination-style playoff was held in Atlanta, Georgia in front of a live crowd. Amongst those who attended the competitive festivities was Gore, who had intentions as a fan as well as a prospective employee. With an education in computer science and a love for video games, Gore

had hopes of networking within the game’s developer, Hi-Rez, but after witnessing the tournament and watching the casting crew he fell in love.

“Nevermind, I want to do that.” That’s how Gore put the transition from programming to commentating into words. Seeing what the commentary group was offering to the fans through their analysis and hype hooked him. Gore began to cast smaller amateur Smite leagues to start building his casting resume. Later that same year Gore would enlist in “So You Think You Can Cast,” a commentating game show that was hosted by Hi-Rez. He proved to be successful as well, placing third at the show’s end. This would all culminate in him landing a job within Hi-Rez as an Esports analyst, however, it would be with another game they produced called Paladins.

It is here where Gore met a new friend and casting partner by the name of David Olson, also known as Dolson. Together they were the voices of professional Paladins, even commentating the last live Paladins World Championship Tournament before COVID. Their work didn’t go unnoticed either, when Smite needed new casters to fill in the ranks, both Olson and Gore were on their way into the Smite Pro League.

Olson says that broadcasting with two personalities is a very chemistry-based task. If you don’t have that chemistry then there is an obvious difference in tone and it can come off as awkward. He attributes the time both he and Gore spent on Paladins working together as an integral part of their careers.

“It jump-started our ability very early on in our transition into Smite,” Olson says, “ We were able to lean on each other.”

They became so comfortable with each other that towards the beginning of their Smite Pro League casting careers they needed to be separated from each other so they’d be able to continue to develop their abilities as well as work with other casters. Gore and Olson’s relationship extends outside of the game as well. In the years past, they’ve both been on mental health and lifestyle journeys.

Gore cites his honeymoon trip to Disney as the beginning of his health journey. After coming home to cast for a larger tournament, he and his peers noticed his weight loss since returning. That would result in a shift in his diet before diving in with regular exercise. Gore does serve as a cautionary tale for weight loss journeys, however. After falling in love with the compliments and ever-dropping numbers on the scale Gore fell into unhealthy weight loss habits. A focus on losing as much as he could need to be shaken for a healthier lifestyle. Gore said he needed to find a middle ground that he felt confident with the number on the scale while still feeling like himself.

“Take it at your own pace, because if you push it too hard and too fast you will be way worse off,” Gore cautions.

Gore’s path to the position he is at today has about as many twists and turns as you can imagine. All of which add to the personality that he has while casting and interacting with fans. For those

viewing the live broadcasts, you can get a better understanding of the passion and knowledge that Gore possesses for Smite and live commentary.

“In my eyes, he’s been the glue for the team,” these are the words of Dan Bryan, who is also known as Betty Esports. Bryan spent time as an editor for a professional Smite player but nowadays creates his content as well as remains a spectator of the league. Bryan speaks the words that many fans and casters alike feel about GoreMiser.

Bryan sees Gore as the voice that can be both a hyper and passionate commentator while maintaining the ability to read sponsored messages professionally. Olson backed up Bryan’s views as well by talking about how Gore will oftentimes help “rally the troops” before and during broadcasts. Olson also says that with a “surprisingly chaotic” energy Gore can ignite an otherwise fading room with a quick anecdote, out of left field question, or random thought.

The major go-to for Gore is his vast database of Smite statistics. More often than not we will see Gore flex this information on the analysis desk or on Twitter where fans are waiting for an update on the latest wacky figures. This is where we can see Gore shine, through these statistics and facts about the league Gore has amassed a large following of individuals who will think of the weirdest Smite-related questions they can to stump his database. These interactions during the season become a daily occurrence that helps promote the league and keep the fans connected to the personality that is GoreMiser.

“What I really love is that there are not that many people who are blasé about it,” Gore remarks about the fans “They are either really into the game or they have no idea what it is.” He goes on to talk about how the fans are, usually, extremely kind and giving to those in the community. He referenced the huge charitable event in the community “Finchmas,” where fans broke the Hi-Rez record for the largest charitable event to date, as an example of what the fans are capable of.

The passionate fan base within Smite is what helps give Gore the fuel to continue to do what he does best, entertain and keep track of every statistic possible.

When asked if he had anything he would like to close on during our interview, Gore left it short and sweet as he chuckled out a familiar plug:

“Watch Smite, twitch.tv/smitegame.”