Loading Ready Run leaving the Escapist

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

This came to my attention today. [http://loadingreadyrun.com/blog/2015/03/25/leaving-the-escapist/]

It would seem that Unskippable and Feed Dump will have their last episodes hosted here next week. Feed Dump will continue on Youtube but Unskippable's long run has come to an end on the 30th.

Now while this doesn't preclude the possibility of the LRR team eventually pitching and selling a new series to the Escapist down the road, the blog post does say it isn't in the cards for the company right now. So if you want to keep up with the Canadian comedians from the coast, start following them on their own site. [http://loadingreadyrun.com/] These guys definitely deserve the views even though you won't be able to check out their content directly here anymore.

Now then.

[HEADING=2]This isn't the end of the Escapist.[/HEADING]

We saw in the Moviebob thread and the Jim Sterling thread all the doomsaying about the site dying. Let's just not have a repeat of that in this thread and take this in a positive direction. The site is changing and that's unsettling because we're used to our weekly content being consistent. Nobody really needs to rehash that, we've got pages of it already in other threads.

Where do we take the thread instead?

For one thing we can remember our favorite LRR moments in our comments and our thoughts about Loading Ready Run's future prospects.[footnote]I imagine the Escapist would still help give Desert Bus exposure! [/footnote] Or we can start brainstorming ideas for how the Escapist can bring in new content as the year goes on.

Remember: Unskippable and the Loading Ready Run family of videos came to this site because of them winning the Escapist's film festival in 2008. Is it time to have another similar event? Should the Escapist put out a call for pitches in a more vocal way? What do you want to see coming to the site in the months ahead? The answers to these questions are of more value to everyone than simply declaring the Escapist is kaput.

So yeah. I guess this is saying goodbye to Graham and the gang. I'm certainly glad I got to know their work through the Escapist and I hope that as we go forward with new people filling the time slots that we'll get even a tenth of the funny LRR brought to the site. I know I'll be keeping up with them on their Youtube channel.

Thanks for the memories guys!

[sup][sup][sup]Seriously guys, they left on good terms. Don't panic.[/sup][/sup][/sup]

 

[shrekfan246]

This is a real ham sandwich.

Time to PICNIC!!!

Much like Jim, I'll keep following them. I've been watching more of their stuff on Youtube lately anyway (and it's really hard to keep up with their streams; I've still not watched all of last year's Desert Bus. D

Can my favorite LRR moments just be "all of them", though?

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

Yay. Hurrah for changes!

*cough*

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I'll still follow them when they put out more Feed Dump, and I'll probably still watch their twitch streams occasionally, as I'm wont to do.

I think it's really cool that they can still come back any time and put out more content. Shows you what awesome people they are, and as for a favorite moment?

I'd have to say when they went to the first Escapist Expo and Graham got everyone to do the Gangnam style on stage, and Yahtzee stood off to the side and just watched. Graham was really into it too, which made the thing ever funnier.

Can my favorite LRR moments just be "all of them", though?

No, dammit!

I don't care if you have to do a battle royale style in which all the moments have to fight to the death.

You must pick one!

 

[shrekfan246]

No, dammit!

I don't care if you have to do a battle royale style in which all the moments have to fight to the death.

You must pick one!

But they already [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfglH-MLyRE] covered that, too [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhl6NPjLKz4]. D:

Also, Graham sans beard looks really weird now.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

No, dammit!

I don't care if you have to do a battle royale style in which all the moments have to fight to the death.

You must pick one!

But they already [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfglH-MLyRE] covered that, too [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhl6NPjLKz4]. D:

Also, Graham sans beard looks really weird now.

Well, that's just cheating.

You know what they say about cheaters, Shrek. Don't be a cheater.

Also, agreed. That just doesn't look right. :/

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I never actually watched much of LRR's stuff, but it sucks to lose more contributors.

I don't think making a contest to encourage and cultivate new contributor talent or heavily encouraging pitches is really all that bad of a course to take or keep taking.

There's a lot of new webcomic contributions, but I'm really only particularly interested in where Koobismo's goes. Hopefully we see a bit more variety from new contributors, and fairly soon-ish.

 

[shrekfan246]

No, dammit!

I don't care if you have to do a battle royale style in which all the moments have to fight to the death.

You must pick one!

But they already [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfglH-MLyRE] covered that, too [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhl6NPjLKz4]. D:

Also, Graham sans beard looks really weird now.

Well, that's just cheating.

You know what they say about cheaters, Shrek. Don't be a cheater.

Well, I did just bust out laughing again at "You're a corpse, Harry" from LoadingReadyRumble 2.

Though, one of my favorite videos (or two, if you want to be technical) is where Paul starts installing Linux on everything.

 

[McMarbles]

Yeah, this isn't the end of the Escapist, just the end of all the content I cared about.

It's hanging by a thread. A thread drawn by the "Critical Miss" guys.

 

[Scarim Coral]

So the only decent videos left on here is Zero Punctuation? (No offence to No Right Answer crews.)

I really hoped there will be new video shows to replaces those who has left...

 

[StatusNil]

So the only decent videos left on here is Zero Punctuation? (No offence to No Right Answer crews.)

I really hoped there will be new video shows to replaces those who has left...

Well, on the Pub Club forum there's a poll posted by the EiC on whether to bring on a new video series, tabletop RPG comedy to be specific. Only 4 votes as of yet, so maybe that's something any members of the Escapist Stonecutters might want to check out and opine on (there's a sample episode). Seems a shame no one seems to have noticed it.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Again? I'm starting to wonder who's gonna leave next... hopefully some new blood will be able to fill the space...

 

[flying_whimsy]

I used to watch their stuff a lot more, but it simply hasn't interested me like it used to; I had a feeling this was coming. That said, I was always fond of how they had one named crow as a recurring thing in the unskippable videos (and the 'that was the xth time I died' during blackouts). Oddly enough the one-liners at the end of the credits were some of the funniest things they had.

Also, anyone else remember that video series they had where they used a high speed camera and just dropped things? I miss that one.

And as far as having another video pitch festival or whatever: while it's a good idea, I'm not sure it could work given the way everyone has realized they can just use youtube. For a site that used videos to pull in most of its audience, youtube has pretty much cannibalized both the content creators and the viewers. That said, there would be advantages to running on a site like this: being in the spotlight, stable pay, guidance from the site owners, an established community, etc. Hmm, I think I talked myself into thinking it's a good idea to have that festival.

 

[laggyteabag]

It sucks that they are leaving, but I never really looked at LRR, and I haven't watched Unskippable in years, so it doesn't really change the site for me.

I hope it goes well for them down the line, however.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Well, given that I watched tons of stuff on their own site, and their youtube channel, and penny arcade... I... Can't say it bothers me much.
With their upload schedule the way it is, it's hardly worth watching them via the escapist anyway.

And i'm addicted to desert bus, which cripples me for a week each year... XD

I am slightly concerned at the trend here though. All the video content seems to be leaving, and nothing seems to be taking it's place (video wise)

It's weird.

Still, LRR is awesome.

 

[Zhukov]

Of course it's not the end of the Escapist. The website is just in a transitional phase!

That is to say, they are transitioning from having lots of content to having fuck all content.

 

[SlightlyEvil]

I already cancelled my PubClub subscription when MovieBob left without anyone replacing him. I decided that the Escapist had until the current year's subscription ends in October to impress me enough to renew. Frankly, it's not looking good.

 

[Andy Shandy]

No more Unskippable?

Besides that bullshit, I'm kinda not surprised.

Much like most of the other contributors that have left, I'll certainly follow them outwith the site (and do already, to be fair).

And finally...

[sub]And you're not going to stop me from panicking, not with nigh on everyone I've enjoyed leaving D: Luckily, it at least looks like Grey and Cory will be here for a while[/sub]

 

[Colour Scientist]

Of course it's not the end of the Escapist. The website is just in a transitional phase!

That is to say, they are transitioning from having lots of content to having fuck all content.

Well, to be fair, the best way to ensure that there's no corruption or agenda in the content of the site is to have no content!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Sad to learn they're leaving. Unskippable was only second to ZP. Came for ZP, stayed for both of them.

So the only decent videos left on here is Zero Punctuation?

Pretty much.