Bye Steve & Larson

[Iwata]

So Machinima apparently decided to end their collaboration with Steve & Larson, makers of TFW, the channel's second-longest running feature.

After their debacle with BroTeam last year, it seems like they just, well... hate people clicking on their videos and are doing all they can to make as many people unsubscribe as possible.

I mean, I doubt that's the reason, but I'm struggling to come up with anything else here...

 

[Bob_McMillan]

They were actually kinda funny, but Machinima has their greasy fingers in everything on YouTube, so I guess it doesn't really matter. What's with everyone firing everyone these days though?

 

[Iwata]

They were actually kinda funny, but Machinima has their greasy fingers in everything on YouTube, so I guess it doesn't really matter. What's with everyone firing everyone these days though?

I know, right? I actually posted this to show that it's not just the Escapist, it seems to be a general malady.

 

[Elfgore]

They've lost Inside Gaming as well, who made a lot of their video and streaming content. I think all they have now that is really popular is Two Guys Play right? I can't imagine they can rack enough views to keep the company going.

 

[Albino Boo]

They've lost Inside Gaming as well, who made a lot of their video and streaming content. I think all they have now that is really popular is Two Guys Play right? I can't imagine they can rack enough views to keep the company going.

They did a $24 million deal with Warner Bros and are cutting "content was simply not delivering the monetization that supports our path to profitability" Basically those shows weren't making enough money to be worth while and the $24 million they have to spend allows them to create new content.

 

[josemlopes]

They've lost Inside Gaming as well, who made a lot of their video and streaming content. I think all they have now that is really popular is Two Guys Play right? I can't imagine they can rack enough views to keep the company going.

They did a $24 million deal with Warner Bros and are cutting "content was simply not delivering the monetization that supports our path to profitability" Basically those shows weren't making enough money to be worth while and the $24 million they have to spend allows them to create new content.

Now I am curious to what in their entire content line-up does make money if those two didnt.

I just watch those two ETC guys now but even then they got rid of some people that were part of it some time ago.



For Steve and Larson I never really liked the show (not saying that they should have ended), I think it was mainly because I really liked that "All your history are belong to us" stuff Machinima had back then and it was either Steve or Larson that didnt like it at all and said that it lacked professionalism or something while their show is rather dumb, and not the smart dumb either.

 

[laggyteabag]

I never really cared about Steve and Larson's content, and I never really thought that they were funny, but I wish them luck with their future projects.

As for Machinima, the only people who I actually watch now are the ETC guys, because, well, it seems like they are the only personalities that are still with Machinima. Getting rid of IG was a huge mistake, and getting rid of Steve and Larson probably just put the last nail in the coffin for a lot of people. Im not overly sure what Machinima is trying to do, and I am even less sure if it will pay off in the end, but what I do know is that there is little to no reason to visit the Machinima main channel right now.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

They were actually kinda funny, but Machinima has their greasy fingers in everything on YouTube, so I guess it doesn't really matter. What's with everyone firing everyone these days though?

I think it's less people being fired and more people realizing that they don't necessarily need to be part of an entertainment company to make money on the internet anymore. Entertainment has changed a lot in the last 5 years, Patreon and similar things are really attractive right now and have been quite lucrative to those who have embraced them. Now those working for Machinema, the Escapist, etc. probably want better terms and those companies just don't have the budgets to give them what they want.

 

[BreakfastMan]

What happened with BroTeam? I remember watching his Machinima videos and really liking them, then he just kind started uploading random shit to his channel, and hasn't done much besides stream over the past year or so...

OT: Jesus, cutting TFW? I remember watching that shit years ago in highschool, back in the golden days of shows like Arby N' the Chief. They used to be HUGE, but now they have been far overtaken by Polaris. WTF happened to them?

 

[EyeReaper]

Ahh, that takes me back. I haven't watched them in years. First argument I ever had on youtube was one of their videos, whether or not Slenderman should be on a "top five faceless protagonist" list. Good times.

 

[Atmos Duality]

They were actually kinda funny, but Machinima has their greasy fingers in everything on YouTube, so I guess it doesn't really matter. What's with everyone firing everyone these days though?

I think it's less people being fired and more people realizing that they don't necessarily need to be part of an entertainment company to make money on the internet anymore. Entertainment has changed a lot in the last 5 years, Patreon and similar things are really attractive right now and have been quite lucrative to those who have embraced them. Now those working for Machinema, the Escapist, etc. probably want better terms and those companies just don't have the budgets to give them what they want.

^That, combined with a lot of recent nasty public mudslinging is driving viewership and talent alike towards other venues; mostly online video moguls (Blip, Youtube) and streaming (Twitch, etc).

Patreon itself is a gamble site akin to Kickstarter.
Time will tell if it stabilizes or bubbles up into a grotesque free-for-all of "Pay for Promises, and Nothing Else".

Hopefully, the more "public" nature of supporting creators instead of just their works will help with that; reputation is a currency not so easily earned, but spent quickly if used foolishly.

 

[Mikeybb]

Patreon itself is a gamble site akin to Kickstarter.
Time will tell if it stabilizes or bubbles up into a grotesque free-for-all of "Pay for Promises, and Nothing Else".

Hopefully, the more "public" nature of supporting creators instead of just their works will help with that; reputation is a currency not so easily earned, but spent quickly if used foolishly.

I have a feeling the bubble is still growing with patreon.

It's still got some growing pains to go through (regarding policies and how it interacts with various international tax laws etc), and there will be a shrinkage of the amount of money to be earned through it, but I really hope it reaches some form of stability rather than outright bursting.

There's a lot of good that could be done with the patreon system and I wouldn't want to see it collapse.
Hopefully if there proves to be any perceived misuse of the financing format, the public nature of the process will allow blame to fall squarely on the perpetrator rather than patreon itself

On that last point, I'm thinking specifically about kickstarter which, after the fund-a-game boom, has earned a certain wariness from potential supporters.
Currently Molyneaux is wearing the devil horns of public shame and getting a scolding over kickstarter misbehavior, but he's just the latest to fall short of goals promised via a kickstarter (no comment on his history regarding that).

 

[Iwata]

What happened with BroTeam?

BroTeam and Machinima had a very nasty, very public falling out last year.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

 

[BreakfastMan]

What happened with BroTeam?

BroTeam and Machinima had a very nasty, very public falling out last year.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

I remember something similar happened with Two Best Friends Play and Machinima, but it obviously seemed to have worked out in the end... Can you give me any details? Like, the reasons for the falling out, and how nasty it got? You have piqued my curiosity, and now I hunger for internet drama! XD

 

[Iwata]

What happened with BroTeam?

BroTeam and Machinima had a very nasty, very public falling out last year.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

I remember something similar happened with Two Best Friends Play and Machinima, but it obviously seemed to have worked out in the end... Can you give me any details? Like, the reasons for the falling out, and how nasty it got? You have piqued my curiosity, and now I hunger for internet drama! XD

You can have a direct link with the story from the horse's mouth. It basically boiled down to broken promises, failed payments and just general bullshit behaviour from Machinima's end.

http://www.broteampill.com/forums/index.php?topic=4522.0

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Patreon itself is a gamble site akin to Kickstarter.
Time will tell if it stabilizes or bubbles up into a grotesque free-for-all of "Pay for Promises, and Nothing Else".

Hopefully, the more "public" nature of supporting creators instead of just their works will help with that; reputation is a currency not so easily earned, but spent quickly if used foolishly.

I have a feeling the bubble is still growing with patreon.

It's still got some growing pains to go through (regarding policies and how it interacts with various international tax laws etc), and there will be a shrinkage of the amount of money to be earned through it, but I really hope it reaches some form of stability rather than outright bursting.

There's a lot of good that could be done with the patreon system and I wouldn't want to see it collapse.
Hopefully if there proves to be any perceived misuse of the financing format, the public nature of the process will allow blame to fall squarely on the perpetrator rather than patreon itself

On that last point, I'm thinking specifically about kickstarter which, after the fund-a-game boom, has earned a certain wariness from potential supporters.
Currently Molyneaux is wearing the devil horns of public shame and getting a scolding over kickstarter misbehavior, but he's just the latest to fall short of goals promised via a kickstarter (no comment on his history regarding that).

Well the thing about Patreon is that it's not just a one time payment like kickstarter, it's a small monthly donation. If something untoward is done by the person receiving the money and they keep falling short on their promises their patrons can just stop funding them, so there's actually incentive not to over-promise and under-deliver. Of course there's still kinks to work out and it's not a perfect system (what is right?) but I do think that it gives patrons more control than kickstarter does.

 

[Raggedstar]

I remember watching Steve and Larson for a while. Not a huge fan, but I liked a few of their videos. I wish them luck.

They've lost Inside Gaming as well, who made a lot of their video and streaming content. I think all they have now that is really popular is Two Guys Play right? I can't imagine they can rack enough views to keep the company going.

The Two/Super Best Friends Play also have their own channel and website. If Machinima ever lets them go, it might not be a great loss for TBFP. Their work with Machinima I think only involves one 15ish minute video per week that usually involve first looks with new releases (and it's not every week they do it). Their 500k sub channel uploads 2+ videos per day, a weekly podcast, hosts various full let's plays and specials (often varying from 20-60 minutes), more appearances from Woolie and Liam, and other shenanigans. They might not even need Machinima anymore (though they may have a contract), though their uploads are are a great way to get introduced to them. Even so, I don't think it would be enough to keep Machinima afloat as a feature when there's soooo much more on their original channel.

 

[Mikeybb]

Well the thing about Patreon is that it's not just a one time payment like kickstarter, it's a small monthly donation. If something untoward is done by the person receiving the money and they keep falling short on their promises their patrons can just stop funding them, so there's actually incentive not to over-promise and under-deliver. Of course there's still kinks to work out and it's not a perfect system (what is right?) but I do think that it gives patrons more control than kickstarter does.

All accurate points and, as you said, the public nature lends itself well to this.
With luck, the kinks will work themselves out with little backlash or deflation of supporters.
It's got a place in this weirdly evolving system of getting the money from audience to content creator, for sure.

I'm starting to think my own personal wariness, while partly fueled by kickstarter fiascos, is also tapping into a suspicion of all new things that seems to come with age.
For some reason, I can't shake the suspicion that whatever these patreon youngsters are up to, part of their plan involves being on my lawn.
I don't even own a lawn.

 

[josemlopes]

I never really cared about Steve and Larson's content, and I never really thought that they were funny, but I wish them luck with their future projects.

As for Machinima, the only people who I actually watch now are the ETC guys, because, well, it seems like they are the only personalities that are still with Machinima. Getting rid of IG was a huge mistake, and getting rid of Steve and Larson probably just put the last nail in the coffin for a lot of people. Im not overly sure what Machinima is trying to do, and I am even less sure if it will pay off in the end, but what I do know is that there is little to no reason to visit the Machinima main channel right now.

But did you watch that one video that just popped in? A podcast nonetheless. Its full of people you dont know!

I dont know why the hell they would do this, I guess they now need new people but starting with a podcast? No one knows them so they dont care what they have to say, they need to slowly integrate them as it was with everyone else. They presented that as if it was something they were doing for a really long time.

I guess I'll just watch the IG crew with Rooster Teeth instead.

 

[A Holy Prodigy]

It's really what a lot of employees of various types of businesses do. Get hired and work for the company for a certain period of time and through that time they realize they now know how to do the same job and often do it better. So they leave and start a similar business of their own. Just an effect of capitalism I guess.