Hey everyone!
It's been a while, and some of you have been wondering why there haven't been any tournaments run here for a while. That's because we're making a significant change behind the scenes, reorganising how our entire staffing structure works for Off the Dial. Why are we doing this? We'll tell you. It's because I'm stepping away from being a TO.
If you've been anywhere near competitive Splatoon on Twitter, you've surely heard about how taxing being a TO is, and unfortunately, it has caught up with me. Six years of running tournaments where the tournament starts at 5 am is not suitable for anyone - plus the additional time leading up to the tournament that a free agent event brings, and I've just reached my breaking point. I also noticed that when I talked about running these tournaments - particularly with my IRL friends - I was always bringing up more negative things than positive, which has been what has signalled to me that it's time to change what I do.
However, I do want to note that I'm not leaving Off the Dial in its entirety. I've spent way too much time and money on this to just drop it. So, instead, I'll be moving into a role best described as a "Creative Director." Essentially, I'll still be shaping the direction of the organisation; I just won't be as front-facing when running tournaments anymore.
This does mean we're changing how our staffing structure works. We'll now be reorganising the staff so it's a lot more structured so everyone knows what they need to do (and it's due to this lack of a system that it's taken so long for this to happen). I'll announce who will take each of these roles once they have been solidified.
Now let's talk about a few changes you'll see.
First up is the Master's Bracket. We've seen great success with this bracket, and players are accommodating. We plan to continue with it; however, we will be making a few changes to it. We'll implement a minimum, competitive skill floor throughout the Master's bracket. This is to bring the competitive level of this bracket closer to what we envisioned, as this bracket is intended for those who are investing in competitive Splatoon. The Master Bracket badge. It's still coming, as we've redesigned the logo for the Master Bracket to be more akin to the other three bracket logos. Apologies to all those who are waiting on this badge.
We're also planning our fourth major update to the Off the Dial site; please stay tuned for more details.
Finally, when is the next tournament?? We're hoping to have the next IDTGA in either the first or second week of October; however, this is yet to be fully confirmed.
Until next time, stay tuned, Dialers!