In a move that will undoubtedly make many TSM fans sad, Hearthstone streamer Jeffrey “Trump” Shih will no longer be representing the North American brand.
The team announced today that it could not come to terms on a new contract with the streamer. Trump was one of the first major Hearthstone streamers on Twitch, and remains one of the most popular to this day. He joined the organization in July 2014 as its second player ever.
Though Trump is primarily a streamer, he has also made some notable competitive appearances. In 2015, he reached the Americas Regional Championship, and in January of this year finished in the top four of the ONOG PAX South Major.
Trump joined Harry “Massan” Cheong on TSM, with Octavian “Kripparrian” Morosan joining in January 2016 as the team focused on signing up some of the game’s most popular streamers.
Only Kripparrian remains signed to TSM, but he was joined just last week by 2016 World Championship quarterfinalist Julian “Cydonia” Perrault as TSM attempts to have a presence in competitive Hearthstone for the first time.
“It’s been a fantastic three years working with Trump,” TSM owner Andy “Reginald” Dinh said in a statement on the team’s website. “It’s a great shame that we could not come to a resolution. I wish nothing but the best for him in the future, and hope he continues his success. To our fans: TSM will continue to invest in Hearthstone, and there is much to look forward to in our future with the scene.”
Update 3/16, 1:24pm CT: Tempo Storm has announced that Trump has joined the team, with team founder Andrey “Reynad” Yanyuk citing Trump as the reason he got into Hearthstone streaming.
