https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dftjyF17j2k
2019 has been an exciting and challenging year of transition for Easy Allies. Thanks to your support we’ve finally been able to move into a proper studio, but it’s taken time and resources to put it all together. On top of that, we’ve had to adjust for personal events impacting several Allies, and it’s been important to give them the space that they need to take care of themselves and their families.
Through this period, our main focus has been to keep as much programming on track as possible, but now we’ve taken the opportunity to really step back and look towards the future of Easy Allies. We’ve also been listening closely to your feedback. Thanks to everyone who participated in our recent survey as it’s helped to fine-tune the direction we want to go.
Streaming Together
One of the biggest changes is that we’re going to be more intentional about streaming together from the studio. In the coming weeks, you’ll see us transition to doing fewer solo streams from home and more frequent streams in the studio with multiple people. Some of us will still do things on our own, whether it’s late at night or when a big demo hits, but we’ll be regularly scheduling times throughout the week to get together and share what we’re playing with one another.
Full group streams won’t be going anywhere as they’ll remain on Tuesday nights. Damiani and Huber will be doing regular streams Wednesday afternoons, and Ian wants to do some synth streams. We won’t be laying out a schedule for full playthroughs, but we will do them for games we’re excited to play together such as Man of Medan. Plus, we’re bringing back Gundam streams starting in September.
$15 Stream Team
Tied in with this effort, we’re also returning to the idea of giving patrons the chance to choose games for us to play together. These streams won’t involve everyone, but you’ll be able to submit ideas and vote for games to be played every other week. We’ll be using forms to streamline the process as well so you won’t have to struggle through the brambles of Patreon comments.
New Shows Aren’t Tied to Goals
We’re taking the time to develop new shows and to bring back some of our past series, which we’ll outline below. In the past, most of our shows have been tied to explicit dollar amounts on Patreon, but this will no longer be the case. In fact, we’re removing all goals from our Patreon entirely. Holding shows back doesn’t make sense for us at this time, and it will be beneficial to have the freedom to create and reconfigure shows as needed. While there are things we’re working toward as a business, much of what we want to do (like hiring additional staff) doesn’t feel appropriate as monthly public goals either. We value everyone’s continued support at a variety of levels, and we feel like we can foster more growth by freely presenting new content and taking the time to demonstrate that this space and this team are worth further investment.
In addition to shows, we also have a number of ideas to experiment with different forms of editorial content to bring you quicker impressions of games that aren’t always tied to a podcast or a preview meeting. Plus we’re interested in providing more opportunities for bits to show our lighter side as well.
Updates to Existing Shows
We’ve taken the time to evaluate every show in our roster. You may notice tweaks to most of our shows, but some are getting more significant changes. Plus, we’re saying goodbye to a few.
The Easy Allies Podcast
It’s been a running joke that companies like Nintendo wait until the podcast is recorded to drop big news. To some extent, this would be the case no matter when we record, but we think we can avoid it more often and make the podcast more timely by shifting the schedule. Starting August 29th, the podcast will record on Thursdays, go up for patrons on Fridays, and go public on Sundays. We know that this will take some adjustment, but we think it will make for a more responsive show overall.
Huber Syndrome
Huber Syndrome will be taking some time off for Huber to invest in his next show. When Syndrome returns, Huber will be doing episodes every other week on a seasonal basis.
Top 10s
We introduced Top 10s last year in hopes that they’d be an exciting way to draw in new people. After 15 videos, Top 10s haven’t really garnered much traction, and viewer response is often lukewarm. We feel that time can be better spent on things that will be more interesting both for us and our audience, but we do have one final episode to end the series.
Game Sleuth
We know that Game Sleuth and Pop Fiction before it have been some of our most anticipated and inspiring shows, but they involve loads of in-depth testing and research to properly create. We’ve been making mystery videos for more than eight years, and while we’ve tried to keep the fire alive, it’s time to move on from this part of our story and put that effort into initiatives that motivate us in new ways.
Trailer Jones
In order to make Trailer Jones more timely and engaging, Brandon will be moving away from lengthy monthly videos that examine multiple trailers and instead focus on individual trailers soon after they release.
Tabletop Escapades
Tabletop Escapades won't be returning in the immediate future, but the group is ready to try something different. In place of Tabletop Escapades, we'll be doing a new show throughout the year. As fantastic as pen and paper roleplaying has been, this is a perfect opportunity to get energized about new things, experiment, and see where that takes us.
Returning Shows and New Shows
It’s hard to say farewell, but now it’s time to say hello! Here are the next projects we’re putting into production.
The Occasional Board Game Show
There’s a variety of different board games that we love, and there are many more we’d like to give a shot, some original, some based on other media. At least once every three months, we’ll get together, try to learn the rules, and shoot a play session together.
Don’s Design Lab
Don’s collaborative Mario Maker series is coming back. While we can’t promise its frequency, we know that Don’s endeavors always pay off. He’s already hard at work on the next episode.
Box Peek
The next five episodes of Kyle Bosman’s original animated series are deep in production. Jordy’s story will continue before the end of the year, and you can catch monthly production updates from Kyle by visiting https://www.patreon.com/EasyAllies/posts?tag=Box%20Peek
Don’t Skip
Ben is putting a renewed focus on Don’t Skip, highlighting games that may otherwise slide under the radar and he feels personally passionate about. These games may be brand new or 20 years old. Along with making the show more frequent, Ben wants to develop a voice that feels more distinct from our reviews while maintaining strong writing.
Achieve It Yourself!
Our exclusive show in which we attempt made-up achievements is a certifiable hit. The current episodes will remain on Patreon, but we’re planning a new 8-episode season that will have episodes land on Patreon early access first, then go public a week later.
Together We RPG
For our next Patreon exclusive series coming this fall, the Easy Allies will team up in RPG Maker to create original art, music, and worlds for a surely one-of-a-kind adventure with ingredients chosen by patrons.
Huber’s Prison of Love
Is there a game one of us hates, but Huber absolutely adores? Huber will lock us in a room and force us to play that game with him. Will he woo us to his side? Only time will tell. Episodes will come out every other week, alternating seasons with Huber Syndrome.
These aren’t the only concepts we’re developing. They’re just the ones we’re ready to talk about today. There are more plans that we want to reveal in the coming months, and some you won’t see until 2020. This is just the start of the next phase of Easy Allies. We know there’s a lot to process, but we’re excited for the next step of this journey and welcome any feedback you’d like to leave below.