When it comes to popular League of Legends casters, it's hard to toss a few prevalent names around without thinking of Mitch 'Krepo' Voorspoels. The popular caster has been a constant force in the growing eSports movement, which is why his absence during the opening of the European League of Legends Championship was worth noting. As it turns out, the affable shoutcaster has decided to step down from his role at Riot Games, a short period of time after some private photographs he had sent to a female contact were spread online without his consent.

In a public statement posted to Twitter, the 27-year-old caster revealed he would be taking an extended break from his highly public role, with the intense scrutiny he'd received from the photo leak evidently having a large impact on the Belgian sportscaster. It's not currently known if Krepo will return to his position at Riot Games once things have settled down, though for the time being he's quickly cleared any mention of working for Riot Games from his social media accounts. Voorspoels did mention that, while he might return directly to casting, he's open to working in the back-end of the eSports scene in the future, further away from the spotlight that has made the last few weeks difficult for him.

Here's the official statement, straight from Mitch Voorspoels' Twitter account:

On a positive note, many comments of support have poured out from his many colleagues in the eSports scene, painting the picture that the bridge hasn't burnt for Mitch to make an eventual return into the industry in which he'd firmly established himself. For the last 2 years, Krepo has been a constant figure in the European League of Legends Championship Series, and many had correctly assumed his absence this week indicated a change was afoot.

It's always unfortunate when private photographs are spread online, an act that has been - in some cases - a criminal offense. For the moment, it seems that Mitch Voorspoels understandably wants to put the entire string of events behind him, and in keeping with such has kept his female acquaintance's identity away from public parties. Given the nature of internet witch hunts, this is probably for the best.

Until now, Riot Games had kept quiet on Krepo's absence, and it's now apparent this was just because the company had waited for Krepo to publish his own statement before Riot Games followed up with one of its own. In this, the company thanked him for his contributions, and wished him the best of luck for the future.

Fans of Mitch 'Krepo' Voorspoels will likely be in for a significant wait as he bides his time away from his online accounts, which have been barraged with a mix of both positive and negative comments for the last few weeks. We wish him all the best in his return to the gaming industry  - or wherever he decides to go - in the future.

What do you think about Krepo's decision to stand down, Ranters?

Source: Mitch Voorspoels (via Twitter)