G2 and Quickshot combine to create new HopEUm podcast: "To celebrate the uniqueness of the LEC"

The start of the 2026 season kicked off with a scare for LEC fans everywhere when it was announced that the beloved EUphoria podcast was coming to an end. To the good fortune of all of those fans looking to scratch that itch for more content outside of the official broadcast, G2 Esports happened to combine forces with one of the most veteran figures in LoL Esports, Trevor "Quickshot" Henry, to create a new podcast to discuss all things concerning European League of Legends: "HopEUm".

Just a few weeks after the podcast came to life, Strafe Esports had the chance to sit down with Quickshot to discuss the creation of the show, its appeal, and what the future has in store for HopEUm.

A Seasoned Head at the Helm

For those of you unfamiliar with Quickshot, suffice it to say he was a part of the caster team for the very first LEC split (then called the EU LCS) back in 2013. After 11 years casting European League of Legends (as well as international events) and playing an integral role in the LEC broadcast, Quickshot and Riot mutually agreed to part ways in March of 2024.

After living through many stages of the LEC, including a rebrand, the league's transition into the current franchising model, as well as countless roster swaps and meta shifts, Quickshot believes the one thing that lets the LEC stand out is its diverseness.

"We are the third strongest region in the world in League of Legends, but we have the most potential in all the different languages, all the different ERLs, the EMEA Masters, all the different teams, all the different regions. So that's what we're trying to celebrate."

The LEC's Rich Culture

Ultimately, the goal of HopEUm is to "celebrate the uniqueness of the LEC." That is precisely why the show has some of the many G2 co-streamers as guests on the show. This allows HopEUm to make use of the many different fanbases and regions that make up the LEC.

"The unique thing about our show is that while we are streaming on the G2 channels, each of the guests is co-streaming on their own channel. So, Skyyart is streaming to his predominantly French community, our conversation. Sola is streaming to his predominantly German community, you know, the conversations that we're having.

And it also then creates those opportunities that are very exciting, where I legitimately get to say on stream, okay, 'who is the best German player ever? Skyyart, what do your French viewers say?' And we get to have that conversation immediately."

Given the diverse nature of the region, the goal for both G2 and Quickshot is to bridge the gap between different fanbases and to "create a show that can stand on its own, that brings together different language regions, different language communities." 

The Future of HopEUm: What's in Store?

While comparisons will inevitably be drawn to EUphoria, Quickshot was quick to draw attention to the fact that the two shows are actually "two very different products."

So far, the five episodes of HopEUm that have taken place have had things like minigames and prediction segments, apart from coversations about League of Legends, of course. Quickshot, however, is eager to take things to the next level. 

"I want to push the boundaries out, especially in inter-region, inter-language content. So that's something that we'll be exploring a lot of. The ability to run polls on an Italian and a Spanish streamer's broadcast and compare them to the English channel of G2. Show me a show that's done that before."

Moreover, the guest list for the show will only get more interesting as the season progresses. For Quickshot, he's hopeful about getting members of the G2 team on the show during the course of the playoffs, and to see the list of guest players grow across teams of different language-speaking communities.

While the project does come from G2, Quickshot wanted to make it clear that HopEUm is a show by G2, not for G2: "We flame G2. This is not a G2 promo show."

Weekly HopEUm episodes are broadcast live every Tuesday across G2’s Twitch and League of Legends YouTube channels at 7 pm CET/10 am PT. The last episode of HopEUm, "The Rat Special", saw members of Los Ratones appear on the show after their roller coaster of a ride in the LEC. Make sure to check it out!

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Featured image credit: G2 Esports/HopEUm

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