The time has come to do something different with Crossfire, time to recognise that this community may be better served by someone else with the keys to the car. As of today I am glad to announce that the brotherly duo of MerlinatoR & Artstar will become the new supreme commanders of Crossfire as I step into the background.

I haven't come to this decision lightly, Crossfire is a project I've invested almost 10 years of dedication into and I'm supremely proud of what has been achieved and the friends that I've made along the way. Crossfire and its staff have continued to to squeeze the life out of games that everyone else had long moved on for. I would like to thank the countless admins, writers and users that invested their time and soul into Crossfire. We succeeded where others failed and we did so in innovative and exciting ways. It would be my hope that Artstar & Merlinator can continue that tradition and they can get as much support and enjoyment out of it as I did.

Over the past few years I've done less and less in this community and at some point in that period I probably should have seen the future. Unfortunately the future for gaming journalism isn't one I like, Its limited to 140 characters and is centralised not on the site of those that make the content but those that post a catchy headline. However what a site like reddit cannot steal is the community spirit and dedication that something like Crossfire will always have.

Where did I go? During that time I at one point stepped back almost completely from gaming and went into the real world of jobs and mortgages! I was lured back as I secured MLG as one of our major clients for the company I was working for (Some on Crossfire might have enjoyed a free stream code at that point!) and through the explosion that was live streaming in gaming I ended my hiatus by joining own3D.tv in May of last year. As of November/December I now run European Operations for Twitch.tv and I'm very much still doing a lot in the gaming space (that I'll try to use to help Merlinator & Artstar!).

If the right game came along I would love to do it all again, the playing, the community, the shoutcasting and the events still draw adrenaline from me today. However video killed the radio star and it'll be some time before I get both a video streaming connection and a game that whet's the appetite!

I would urge anyone to try to get involved in the way I have done, the reward is there for you on so many levels! I'll sum up my gaming experience in 3 Quakecons. Quakecon 05 was my first LAN casting a game that I loved and though the tournament might have been one sided, the experience and social side was unforgettable. Quakecon 06 was simply an experience you had to be there to believe, the Crossfire team at Quakecon and adrenaline pumping to the point of heart failure. Two days ago I got a call from someone who used that video as his demo material for a new gaming project, it is timeless. Lastly Quakecon 2009 maybe a Quakecon that means nothing to Crossfire but it was where I met my soon to be wife.

In these two people I see people who respect where Crossfire has come from and have the hunger to take the site to the next level! I'll back them up with whatever resources I've got and I hope you will join me in making them feel welcome and supported in their new roles!