Thousands of World Of Warcraft players gathered in-game last night to mourn and pay tribute to Byron 'Reckful' Bernstein. The massively popular Twitch streamer reportedly died by suicide earlier this week. He was 31 years old.
Over every server, players from both the Horde and Alliance headed towards the Stormwind Cathedral pay tribute. Some servers saw players in their dozens. Others came together in their hundreds. But a few servers actually played host to thousands of players looking to join the mourning.
Some would make the journey to reminisce with friends and fellow players about Bernstein. Others simply knelt in silence for a time before moving on.
Bernstein was permanently banned from World Of Warcraft in 2014 for account sharing, but his legacy as one of the MMO's most famous and popular players has endured. He was the highest-ranked PvPer for an incredible six consecutive seasons in 2009, and emerged victorious in a number of prominent tournaments.
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As reported by PC Gamer, popular WOW streamer Asmongold was actually livestreaming when the news of Bernstein's death broke. It wasn't long before they were streaming one of the biggest in-game gatherings to over 100,000 viewers. A number of the biggest Twitch WOW streamers also joined in on the memorials, attracting a heartwarming number of players and viewers.
Most servers saw players gathering at Stormwind Cathedral, but others decided to share their love in different ways. Some opted to pay a visit Byron Burnside, the NPC tribute to Bernstein that was introduced in the Battle For Azeroth update some years ago. Burnside can be found in the Alliance-owned town of Bridgeport, south of the Alliance capital of Tiragarde Sound. Not that this stopped Horde players from making the journey.
Bernstein's ex-partner and roommate both confirmed last night that he died by suicide. The streamer frequently used his platform to promote mental health awareness, and would speak openly about his struggle with bipolar disorder and depression.
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"This isn't a 'F*ck 2020' moment," Twitch's head of creator development wrote on Twitter in response to the news. "This is a 'we need to pay attention to mental health' and 'we need better resources in the gaming/streaming community' moment. Yes 2020 SUCKS, but that's even more reason for us to recognize and combat the stigmas around mental health. RIP BYRON."
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Featured Image Credit: Blizzard/Byron Bernstein/TwitchTopics: Twitch, World of Warcraft
