StarCrafts Latest Episode
Once you’ve recovered from your laughs, check out more of our content below!
Play the Mod!
The StarCrafts mod featured at the end of the episode is now available to play on the Blizzard Arcade. Best of all? The Blizzard Arcade and the games it contains are absolutely free!
An Interview with Jonathon Burton
This guest content comes directly from “The Weekly All-In”, a digital source for all things StarCraft. Interview from Austin 'Neuro' Flisinger.
Neuro: Describe your path leading into a career:
Jonathan Burton: Well, originally I had no idea making cartoons about StarCraft would be leading me into eSports. To be honest, I didn’t follow eSports to much, I just loved playing the game with my brothers. I think it was that love for the game that even made it worth something, enough to gain half a million subscribers. As time went on, our team grew. My 2 brothers, one an animator, the other the sound effects editor, really helped lift the load, the channel grow, and the ideas flow.
N: What art styles from other games do you find particularly impressive / interesting / inspiring?
JB: Absolutely love Zelda: Wind Waker. When it first came out I remember thinking "Seriously? What kind of crap?" I wasn’t too fond of it. But then I played it and everything changed. There are some other darker art styles that I loved, Diablo 1 comes in mind.
N: What adversity have you encountered on your journey of working as a full-time artist in eSports?
JB: There has been quite a bit of challenges and pitfalls. There was a guy that said we weren’t worth much but he would be willing to purchase the channel for $200. There are some others but I won’t go on about them, lol. Just as a warning to people who gain popularity in this world, people will try to take advantage of you, so be thoughtful 🙂
The other side of it is the discipline to work every day in my own home. After the excitement has worn off a bit, this is the beast you must slay every day, the natural man of getting lazy or slothful. I have surprised myself in this for the past three years, I don’t know how.
N: Which stage(s) of animation creation are the most difficult? Which parts are the most enjoyable?
JB: The most difficult part of creating the cartoons is often the idea (storyboarding it). We stream animating sometimes which can be difficult to capture exactly what we want, however, the process nobody sees is thinking and fleshing out the story of each episode in the first place. This can come quick if we are lucky, but it also can be the most headaches.
The odd thing is, the storyboarding is also the most fun. We have the most laughs because we are making fun of what we love.
N: What advice would you give to aspiring artists looking to create content on the frontiers of gaming?
JB: Love what you do. Have fun with what you’re doing, that’s what makes the difference.
N: What features/changes are you most looking forward to in Legacy of the Void?
JB: You know, I use to say the new units… but with Archon Mode and auto tournaments and everything else, I don’t know. I’m also really curious about allied commanders. It sounds lame and uninteresting but really looking forward to it as a whole.
N: If you could have 3 StarCraft units as roommates, who would you live with and why?
JB: The reaper. I would steal his jetpack and his self-healing kit and have me some fun. The siege tank as well, so I can fit myself into the cannon and say "launch me boy" as he fires me across town. Lastly, definitely mothership, so when I’m tired, no matter where I am, i can just get recalled to my bed. Also I never would have to pay for round trips ever again.