Community
the audience with his impressive
talent
for
creating
hype
trains and bringing a sense of
lightheartedness if a player
makes a mistake for any reason.
However, it was clear that more
than anything, Drybear found
many ways to increase the already
colossal
hype
surrounding
the tournaments with many
supportive fans coming out and
showing their pride for their
favorite professional teams.
There was also an announcement
shortly before the tournament
that HiRezTodd, COO of Hi-Rez
Studios, revealed on Reddit’s
/r/Smite that Drybear was to
join the Hi-Rez family as a full
time employee assisting with
the moderation of the official
Smite forums and continuing
his incredible work for the
community that has helped
develop such a fantastic MOBA.
This decision came at almost no
surprise as Drybear constantly
works hard to promote a fun
and entertaining environment
Issue 1 • May 2014
during his streaming hours and
while he is casting tournaments.
A few examples include some
of the more unfortunate events
when harassment appears
either in-game of in the form of
the built-in Twitch chat; it’s noted
that Drybear works diligently
to bring any sort of negative
behavior to a stop as soon as
it appears. Another example
would be during games where
not all is going according to
plan, Drybear never blames
other teammates or surrenders
himself to defeat; instead he
constantly encourages both
himself and his team as well as
invigorates the audience, making
the best of each situation. News
of this recent Hi-Rez acquirement
was met with highly positive
reactions from Reddit users,
several congratulating him via
the comments which included
several warm welcomes from
some current Hi-Rez employees.
Alongside the plethora of praises
several users took it upon
themselves to come up with a new
nickname considering Drybear’s
employment including DryRez,
HiRezRory, and DryRezBear (his
current Reddit handle), which
goes to show just how supportive
the community is in return to
a well-earned position at HiRez Studios and the love that
community has for one of the
most adored streamers around.
Of course, with the very recent
launch of SMITE and DryRezBear’s
newly acquired position, many
details concerning the future
of SMITE’s driest bear are very
hazy, but one thing is for sure:
Drybear will continue to help
support the community and in
return the community is more
than happy to reciprocate all
the love that we have to offer.
That being said, if you happen
to see Drybear in your game,
whether you’re playing with him
or against him, make sure you
show your support for him and
all the great work he does; don’t
forget to drop by his stream slots
and show your love there as well!
56 • GameOn Smite Community Magazine