Easy Allies |OT| The New Era

LiquidSolid · Apr 7, 2018

I really feel like I have to bring up Kyle encouraging people to scam them at the end of the latest podcast. Blood was clearly not happy with him over it and he's right not to be. If you're going to be self deprecating, do it over something that only affects yourself, not something eight other people rely on to pay the fucking bills. It was a real dick move and is the kind of thing that makes me pessimistic about EZA's future because some of the Allies, especially Kyle, just don't seem to be taking their financials seriously. I just don't think EZA's sustainable in the long run unless they can grow out of Jones' garage and make sure more of the Allies are working full-time.

As for Patreon post, it's encouraging to hear that they've got some kind of event coming up where they're introducing some changes. I kinda feel like that should've happened last month, since their patreon numbers have been dropping for a while but better late than never. As for the changes I'd make, I think I'd go with:

1. Raise L&R questions to $7, to encourage $5 patrons to up their pledges a bit and make sure that tier isn't completely reliant on the total staying above $40k.

2. Make the $5 tier early access to every podcast, not just EZA Podcast and Friend Code (when it comes back). I doubt it'd change much but it'd be more consistent.

3. Change the $50k goal to both weekly Frame Trap episodes and weekly streams with 2-3 Allies present. Basically more tangible goals that they'd be able to put into effect once they get the studio.

4. Shake up Trailer Jones. Maybe go with a monthly format where everyone's together, not just talking over Skype (which came off super low budget) and go through 4-5 different trailers. I don't think they should limit the panel to just Jones, Blood and Kyle either. Jones should obviously stay as host but rotate the second and third chairs. Also do a pilot of it to demonstrate how it's different than the (frankly, weak) ones we got last year.

I also like Karu's idea of holding episodes off until they've got a bunch of episodes they can release weekly. It's worked fantastically for Don's series and was desperately needed for the Souls Retro. I also think you could do a new Brandon Plays Pokemon style series that way (Huber Plays Final Fantasy VI hosted by Brandon?) and avoid all the issues that series had. Though if I remember correctly, some of those issues were self-inflicted by Brandon.

Edit: Said $40k when I meant $50k. Oops.

Deleted member 21693 · Apr 7, 2018

Have they played board games at all? Like Catan and Risk or something like that.

That could be fun.

Hasney · Apr 7, 2018

Mikey Jr. said:
2. Tabletop- This has never seemed like it's been big on EZA. I just don't think the audience is really there. Like, they get together for 4 hours a month. Theres gotta be something else 5 allies can do that is more appealing to a wider audience. It just seems like a huge time investment and doesn't seem to be paying off, and we are 2 years in at this point.

4. Top 10- I know, I know. But honestly, you wanna grow your channel? Get more viewers? Not saying once a week. But once a month. Don't tell me that NINE PEOPLE can't do a top 10 once a month.

You want to remove Tabletop, then add something that they've said took more time than Tabletop at GT due to debate and editing, involving more Allies time for only once a month for people on message boards to say "Didn't watch, but fuck that, x should be 1".

Deleted member 19721 · Apr 7, 2018

i really feel like gating content production behind a milestone amount isn't the most effective way to get people to up their pledge. make the content, then incentivise people to up their pledge to get it. its how you get confusing scenarios like trailer jones coming back for a month and then disappearing forever. its how we've got a situation now where friendcode, a show that is available to everyone, but is only made if the patreon hits 40k, is not going to be made, even though the patreon looks, to patrons' to be over 40k again, and it seems like the drop was somewhat due to sponsors dropping out, which is a situation that is entirely out of the hands of the friendcode tier.

Hasney · Apr 7, 2018

trinity said:
i really feel like gating content production behind a milestone amount isn't the most effective way to get people to up their pledge. make the content, then incentivise people to up their pledge to get it. its how you get confusing scenarios like trailer jones coming back for a month and then disappearing forever. its how we've got a situation now where friendcode, a show that is available to everyone, but is only made if the patreon hits 40k, is not going to be made, even though the patreon looks, to patrons' to be over 40k again, and it seems like the drop was somewhat due to sponsors dropping out, which is a situation that is entirely out of the hands of the friendcode tier.

Yeah, that I agree with, even though I don't know the solution. They don't even promote what goal they're close to, so at the end of a podcast or something if they said "we're so close to bringing back our Nintendo and movie podcasts" it might inspire more people to go check it out, or a video from Damiani for the YouTube video explaining why Friend Code is on hiatus. They just don't serve the YouTube only audience very well, but there's a good chunk of their audience that has no idea what's going on.

thecowboypoet · Apr 7, 2018

I've been a supporter via Patreon since the night EZA was announced. I upped my pledge last year as soon as Reaction Shots was announced. It's a two dollar difference from the next lowest tier and I'm happy to be able to donate to the Allies (and a donation is how I view it for the most part) but on the other hand, in principal, I feel like I donated $7 for something on April 1st that they're no longer going to deliver. Weird to have a reward tier tied to a fundraising milestone they might not hit each month. I know it's the nature of Patreon but as someone who's subscribed since day one, it's very discouraging to see my two favourite EZA shows be taken away because other people didn't support the Patreon.

Zeroro · Apr 7, 2018

Related to the podcast discussion, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is my toaster strudel because Teddie hasn't even been announced as a DLC character yet and may not be in at all, ruining the cute Teddie/Jubei team I wanted to rock if I... possibly bought this game someday.

Axass · Apr 7, 2018

Kyle's bit about giving $1 and then cancelling the pledge was very disappointing. I doubt that many people will actually be doing it, and I get it was a joke, but it felt disrespectful towards the other allies, and once again made it seem like they don't take self-promotion seriously.

Not that big of a deal, but still uncalled for, especially now that they've had to put on hold two shows.

Dmax3901 · Apr 7, 2018

Haven't finished the podcast so will withhold my views til then, but I appreciate the email at least touching base and acknowledging the downwards trend.

Something I wish Rare would do in regards to Sea of Thieves.

Deleted member 19721 · Apr 7, 2018

thecowboypoet said:
I've been a supporter via Patreon since the night EZA was announced. I upped my pledge last year as soon as Reaction Shots was announced. It's a two dollar difference from the next lowest tier and I'm happy to be able to donate to the Allies (and a donation is how I view it for the most part) but on the other hand, in principal, I feel like I donated $7 for something on April 1st that they're no longer going to deliver. Weird to have a reward tier tied to a fundraising milestone they might not hit each month. I know it's the nature of Patreon but as someone who's subscribed since day one, it's very discouraging to see my two favourite EZA shows be taken away because other people didn't support the Patreon.

yup. exactly. and from the sounds of things, it wasnt even that other people stopped supporting, it was that a sponsor dropped out.

if we'd filled one more podcast sponsorship these podcasts would still be in business

so basically, youre getting punished for an advertiser dropping out. they still took your pledge. and wont even guarantee that you'll get your reward. i feel like that uncertainty really makes people hesitate from upping or sticking with their pledges.

LiquidSolid · Apr 7, 2018

trinity said:
i really feel like gating content production behind a milestone amount isn't the most effective way to get people to up their pledge. make the content, then incentivise people to up their pledge to get it. its how you get confusing scenarios like trailer jones coming back for a month and then disappearing forever. its how we've got a situation now where friendcode, a show that is available to everyone, but is only made if the patreon hits 40k, is not going to be made, even though the patreon looks, to patrons' to be over 40k again, and it seems like the drop was somewhat due to sponsors dropping out, which is a situation that is entirely out of the hands of the friendcode tier.

That's a fair point and they've done it before, but I don't see how that could be doable for regular bi-weekly or monthly shows like Friend Code and Reaction Shots. Best case scenario IMO is making sure each goal is tangible, so everyone knows what to expect from Trailer Jones, the studio, etc. and if they want it, they'll be encouraged to pledge. That's why I think something like weekly Frame Trap episodes (if possible) would be a good goal to have alongside the studio (which is $50k, not $40k like I mistakenly said above) because it's a popular show and the message is simply "if we get the studio, you get twice as much of this show you like." It's also why pilots to potential shows are important, since it lets them show fans what they could get and receive feedback so they can make changes if needed. Just look at Trailer Jones, it seemed like a cool idea when it was first brought up but when we actually got it, the execution was lacking.

Hasney said:
Yeah, that I agree with, even though I don't know the solution. They don't even promote what goal they're close to, so at the end of a podcast or something if they said "we're so close to bringing back our Nintendo and movie podcasts" it might inspire more people to go check it out, or a video from Damiani for the YouTube video explaining why Friend Code is on hiatus. They just don't serve the YouTube only audience very well, but there's a good chunk of their audience that has no idea what's going on.

Kyle can't promote their patreon without laughing and encourages people to scam them so expecting him to actually go into specifics like that would probably be a really hard mountain to climb.

But yeah, it shouldn't even need to be said but they really need to at least release a video (and audio clip for the podcast feeds) where Damiani explains why Friend Code is on hiatus and encourages fans to pledge if they want it to come back. Ideally Damiani would know this and get something ready himself and maybe he has but it often seems like the Allies completely overlook those details.

Fanuilos · Apr 7, 2018

LiquidSolid said:
Kyle can't promote their patreon without laughing and encourages people to scam them so expecting him to actually go into specifics like that would probably be a really hard mountain to climb.

Dude, that was unnecessary. He made a poor joke, he wasn't out there badmouthing the group or anything. Kyle obviously cares about Easy Allies and works hard to keep it going. He was probably trying to bring some levity to the financial situation and ended up making a poor joke. Happens to everyone.

Xenoboy · Apr 7, 2018

Cut or revamp Huber Syndrome. It's too inconsistent and talking about wrestling is a giant waste of time.

munchie64 · Apr 7, 2018

Jones's playthrough of Telltale Batman was really fun. Probably my favourite of their post-Walking Dead games.

LiquidSolid · Apr 7, 2018

Fanuilos said:
Dude, that was unnecessary. He made a poor joke, he wasn't out there badmouthing the group or anything. Kyle obviously cares about Easy Allies and works hard to keep it going. He was probably trying to bring some levity to the financial situation and ended up making a poor joke. Happens to everyone.

I disagree, I thought it was a really negative joke that hurts the whole group, but I don't think that changes my point. Kyle clearly struggles with self-promotion.

Kneefoil · Apr 7, 2018

If EZA wants to up their Patreon revenue, I thinks it's more important for them to find ways to incentivize new patrons rather than having their current patrons up their pledges.

But they gotta keep Tabletop whatever they do.

LiquidSolid said:
I really feel like I have to bring up Kyle encouraging people to scam them at the end of the latest podcast. Blood was clearly not happy with him over it and he's right not to be. If you're going to be self deprecating, do it over something that only affects yourself, not something eight other people rely on to pay the fucking bills. It was a real dick move and is the kind of thing that makes me pessimistic about EZA's future because some of the Allies, especially Kyle, just don't seem to be taking their financials seriously. I just don't think EZA's sustainable in the long run unless they can grow out of Jones' garage and make sure more of the Allies are working full-time.

I didn't think it was a bit about scamming EZA. The impression I got was that Kyle wasn't aware that Patreon doesn't take the money immediately after pledging but at the start of the next month.

MrMette · Apr 7, 2018

Xenoboy said:
Cut or revamp Huber Syndrome. It's too inconsistent and talking about wrestling is a giant waste of time.

While it is not for me either, I do still believe that the allies should create the content they want to create.
I am sure some people enjoy these episodes and it's a few times a year. I honestly don't care. Also, it's not easy to come up with new ideas each week.

It doesn't really hurt that they sit together for an hour or so total to talk about wrestling. It's something they both enjoy. If you are not interested in the episode, don't watch it.
If you want people who don't like to do the EZA stuff anymore, you should try to push them to do everything for views again like they did on GT. Let's see how long it takes before somebody burns out or just quits EZA.
They can make more money creating content for an other company compared to doing EZA, but they like doing EZA because they can create the content they want and because they love the community and you can feel that (imo).

I understand why people want them to change the tiers and I don't think it's a bad idea either, but I am sure they have thought about this more than most people here have and we will just have to wait what they come up with.
I don't think cutting specific shows is the way to go. I do think restructuring the tiers can possibly help even though I am not sure how to do it.

The big problems is that everybody has their favorite shows. People here are complaining about TTE, but it's my favorite show (after the podcasts) and it's something they clearly enjoy doing.
I honestly enjoy most of their shows and I don't really mind if there are episodes in between that are not really for me (like the WWE ones). I usually still watch it and if it becomes too much, I will just move on.

It's impossible to create content that every fan of EZA will enjoy and that's ok. It's the same for all outlets.

Edit:
Btw the drop seems to be because the sponsors probably left after supporting 1 or 2 years (it's logical for them to say, we will sponsor 1 year). The higher tiers are really dependent on the sponsorships, so that's why it dropped just under 40k. They will have to find ways to make it more enticing for sponsors, but I don't have a clue on how to do that unfortunately.

A part of me is also skeptical on asking for more sponsors because I usually am not the biggest fan of how it is incorporated in a show. I don't mind it too much on the EZA podcast, but I didn't like it on the 2 episodes of KF I saw (when Huber and Blood where on). It's probably because I am not used to this kind of sponsorships as we usually don't sponsor segments of shows in Belgium. That said, I wouldn't mind too much if it helps EZA.

Deleted member 19721 · Apr 7, 2018

What do you guys think about doing it like kinda funny? A $10 tier that gets you access to everything early. All the content still gets made. No monthly goals. Everything eventually gets released to YouTube for free.

Stowaway Silfer · Apr 7, 2018

WarRock said:
Oh boy I disagree with quite a bit of the latest podcast. Also, love the line up.

You can't just say that and not give us details brother

Mikey Jr. said:
3. Trailer Jones- Do popular trailers. Trailers people want to see. I get it. Some trailer won some award in France. That is not going to get people to watch. I was looking back at Trailer Jones. Those trailers were a bad selection. I'll say it straight up. If a popular trailer for a game isn't out, GO BACK TO OLD TRAILERS. Honestly. It's not like trailers expire. Metal Gear Solid 5 had some awesome trailers. Score those. There is so much stuff. But do stuff people want to see. Make it a Patreon post and ask people for submissions. Like, this stuff is so easy, it hurts.

Yes!

Mikey Jr. said:
4. Top 10- I know, I know. But honestly, you wanna grow your channel? Get more viewers? Not saying once a week. But once a month. Don't tell me that NINE PEOPLE can't do a top 10 once a month.

Yes!
(Yo this is the high-level money-move)

Mikey Jr. said:
5. Bi-weekly game reactions- Ok, this one is gonna be tough, but it's your most popular stuff. This one is a long shot but I'm just gonna put it out there. Could be crazy and don't expect it to actually work or be feasible. Have allies NOT watch new game footage. New Spiderman trailer? Don't watch it. New GOW footage? Same, don't watch. Then once a week, record the allies (as many as you can), watch a bunch in a row for the first time and react to it. Game reactions seem huge on youtube, and EZA's most popular stuff are reactions. But they only happen are certain times of the year. But new game trailers are dropping every week. Lots of views going to waste.

Ehhhhhhh
I don't like these kinds of reactions cause that's too forced. This screams "yo folks love when we jump out of our seats so we'll force ourselves to do it" and they'll be like other generic YT channels. Just keep that to press conferences, that's sufficient.

Axass said:
Kyle's bit about giving $1 and then cancelling the pledge was very disappointing. I doubt that many people will actually be doing it, and I get it was a joke, but it felt disrespectful towards the other allies, and once again made it seem like they don't take self-promotion seriously.

Not that big of a deal, but still uncalled for, especially now that they've had to put on hold two shows.

Kyle always acting like the Patreon is a joke is really off-putting tbh. Honestly my opinion on a lot of things concerning Kyle is basically that if he has nothing more to say about something than some dumb unfunny joke then he just shouldn't address it (recent example is the Total War thing on the podcast. I don't care about that series but if I did I'd probably rather not see it brought up than get what we got in the podcast this week) and I'd rather he just do the same about the Patreon. If it's cause he can't be a sellout or something then don't have him talk about it period.

NekoNeko · Apr 7, 2018

June was a dumb bet Kyle, you don't release a game like that in the midst of a world cup.

Murasaki · Apr 7, 2018

If Bosman can't promote the patreon with any clarity or sincerity then it should be left to someone else, ideally Jones (yes, he wasn't present for the most recent one). It's too important to be half-assed. I hope Blood gave Kyle a serious bollocking after the podcast.

LiquidSolid · Apr 7, 2018

Xenoboy said:
Cut or revamp Huber Syndrome. It's too inconsistent and talking about wrestling is a giant waste of time.

Nah, I haven't watched WWE in years but they're still fun Huber Syndrome's to watch and listen to.

Kneefoil said:
I didn't think it was a bit about scamming EZA. The impression I got was that Kyle wasn't aware that Patreon doesn't take the money immediately after pledging but at the start of the next month.

I watched it again just to be sure and nope, the implication was that you could pledge, check it out and then cancel without having paid anything. If I'm wrong then I apologise but I'd be surprised if Kyle doesn't know how their patreon works.

Deimo5 · Apr 7, 2018

I would like to know how effective patreon plugs are when they are done at the tail end of a podcast. Pretty much every other podcast I know does advertising at the start.

Deleted member 5621 · Apr 7, 2018

Just make the plugs during half time/caught in a Frame Trap. It only makes sense, since you can tie in the sponsors and how to become one.

ZeroNoir_ · Apr 7, 2018

1. Bring.Back.Final.Bosman

I know Bosman hates it for reasons and may be a huge timesink, but that small bit content was GREAT.

2. More Byte Sized Content

It's a common meme that the Podcast is constantly outdated news. Create a Byte Sized Podcast on Thursday on Fridays to talk about quick news. Like rapidfire. It could be satirical, Mandatory Update style.

3. Promote, Promote, Promote

Kyle saying they could sign in and then cancel was dumb. That's standard Kyle-ism but a dick move for the rest of the team that's more committed to EZA.

4. Revamp Reaction Shots

I upped my pledge for Reaction Shots and it was dissapointing. I love Ian and Huber but the content was disperse and the talk was not focused. It was more of them reading the comments in patreon. Dropped my pledge after 3 episodes.

5. E3 it's your shot. Invite people!

You live in LA and you cannot get guests in your shows.Come on bros.

Deleted member 5621 · Apr 7, 2018

Honestly, any editorial type of show would work, Bosman or not. A show actually covering news instead of rushing through a couple of them like they do on the podcast too.

Deimo5 · Apr 7, 2018

Missing out on hot off the presses news is annoying but I don't know if it's super impactful.
If you wanted easy views, I would push lists. People like lists. Look at Playstation Access for example. All their most popular videos are lists which have nothing to do with what the channel was named for.
Huber is always going on about top 10 this, best x in y that, you can run with it.

Auctopus · Apr 7, 2018

Don't think I've ever shook my head more at the podcast than that 'Living Games' segment on this podcast, haha. Two of my most favourite games this gen. have been GaaS but man, not every game needs to be one and not every developer has the skillset to support it. Fun to entertain but goodness, there were some terrible ideas being thrown around hahah

Gaming_Groove · Apr 7, 2018

Hello everyone! I was finally able to register and get approved after many years of lurking on GAF and Era. I'm really happy to be here and hope to have a lot of great conversations with you all.

Now to get into the topic at hand...I get that their Patreon numbers are a bit down, but I don't think they need to change much to bounce back. Off the top of my head there are two things I'd like to see.

- They need to make better use of the huge amount of stream footage they produce. Maximilian Dood is a good example...he makes entertaining shows by editing his streams (boss rage, legacy videos, etc.), which cuts down on the work he has to do. Checkin' Out is a good step in the right direction. While I never want to see top 10s again, they technically already have them in the form of Hall of Greats. They can keep the current method of streaming their debates and posting the archives, but to draw more viewership to their channel they can also use that footage to make digestible, short form videos. You could almost cut a reality show out of that thing with some of the weird stuff they do to promote their nominations and the confessional style voting they have now. I'm sure there are problems with that suggestion and it's probably not my greatest idea, but it's just what some random guy on the internet thought of in 5 minutes.

- More short form editorial content. The Final Bosman is never happening, but that's alright, they don't need it. I honestly never want to see it again if it means we get stuff like Box Peek. Instead, I'd love a Ben Moore video essay series. During podcasts while unscripted Ben has some of the most thoughtful and interesting comments about games and media, and I think his video from the concert shows that given time to refine those thoughts he can really produce something great. Video essay producers do well on Youtube and Patreon (Lindsay Ellis, Super Eyepatch Wolf, Gigguk, etc.), and I think Ben has the potential to bring in that kind of audience as well.

All in all, I don't think changing Patreon tiers/rewards or cutting content is the answer...it can certainly be done, but I think that's just going to be something they do to satisfy their existing base and make people feel better about how their money is being used. Their number one focus should be on increasing their subscriber count on Youtube, and that's going to largely be dependent on what they produce. Youtube drives the Patreon, not the other way around. They need to grow their audience if they want to have long term success.

Sorry to ramble...as I've almost always done on every forum post, I think I've gone on too long. I look forward to posting more in this thread and on this board. Have a good one everybody!

ShadyK54 · Apr 7, 2018

Gaming_Groove said:
Hello everyone! I was finally able to register and get approved after many years of lurking on GAF and Era. I'm really happy to be here and hope to have a lot of great conversations with you all.

Welcome!

A Ben essay series (like the Demo Disc video) would be neat. He did a good job with that initial video.

Stowaway Silfer · Apr 7, 2018

Gaming_Groove said:
Hello everyone! I was finally able to register and get approved after many years of lurking on GAF and Era. I'm really happy to be here and hope to have a lot of great conversations with you all.

Now to get into the topic at hand...I get that their Patreon numbers are a bit down, but I don't think they need to change much to bounce back. Off the top of my head there are two things I'd like to see.

- They need to make better use of the huge amount of stream footage they produce. Maximilian Dood is a good example...he makes entertaining shows by editing his streams (boss rage, legacy videos, etc.), which cuts down on the work he has to do. Checkin' Out is a good step in the right direction. While I never want to see top 10s again, they technically already have them in the form of Hall of Greats. They can keep the current method of streaming their debates and posting the archives, but to draw more viewership to their channel they can also use that footage to make digestible, short form videos. You could almost cut a reality show out of that thing with some of the weird stuff they do to promote their nominations and the confessional style voting they have now. I'm sure there are problems with that suggestion and it's probably not my greatest idea, but it's just what some random guy on the internet thought of in 5 minutes.

- More short form editorial content. The Final Bosman is never happening, but that's alright, they don't need it. I honestly never want to see it again if it means we get stuff like Box Peek. Instead, I'd love a Ben Moore video essay series. During podcasts while unscripted Ben has some of the most thoughtful and interesting comments about games and media, and I think his video from the concert shows that given time to refine those thoughts he can really produce something great. Video essay producers do well on Youtube and Patreon (Lindsay Ellis, Super Eyepatch Wolf, Gigguk, etc.), and I think Ben has the potential to bring in that kind of audience as well.

All in all, I don't think changing Patreon tiers/rewards or cutting content is the answer...it can certainly be done, but I think that's just going to be something they do to satisfy their existing base and make people feel better about how their money is being used. Their number one focus should be on increasing their subscriber count on Youtube, and that's going to largely be dependent on what they produce. Youtube drives the Patreon, not the other way around. They need to grow their audience if they want to have long term success.

Sorry to ramble...as I've almost always done on every forum post, I think I've gone on too long. I look forward to posting more in this thread and on this board. Have a good one everybody!

Welcome! Chose a good thread to make a first post in.

issa · Apr 7, 2018

KonFot said:
Have they played board games at all? Like Catan and Risk or something like that.

That could be fun.

They did a few times on Easy Update and group streams. The only one that I thought presented well was Once Upon a Time, but I'm very biased :p

There are a dozen good show pilots buried in Easy Update, which only makes me hate it more. I still watch it everytime though, as opposed to Huber Syndrome which I respect but have no interest in watching.

trinity said:
What do you guys think about doing it like kinda funny? A $10 tier that gets you access to everything early. All the content still gets made. No monthly goals. Everything eventually gets released to YouTube for free.

I don't think they have enough quality content to gate behind a paywall. But this would be be the only way I'd consider going to the $5 tier (although I might just consume everything late just like the podcast).

JayC3 said:
There is Cup of Jones

I only watched it two or three times and I don't think I'm missing anything.

ZeroNoir_ · Apr 7, 2018

Cup of Jones is like a Boards Meeting between Jones and the Patreon. Lots of good information can be heard about the insight and Jones answers a lot of questions.

The Third Heat · Apr 7, 2018

I get that mentioning Top 10 brings back icky feelings in the Allies, but I do feel like that kind of content brought a lot of viewers to GT and it feels like they're sorely missing out on getting more people to EZA by not doing them anymore. I get that they sucked and were insanely time-consuming, but I think at this point, it might be time for the Allies to start doing their crunches as Kyle says and have a show that's maybe not quite their favorite thing to do, but could potentially bring in more people. Find a way to make Top 10s work for you guys now. Figure out a better workflow. Change how often they come out. I don't know. It's not my channel. I want them to be happy doing what they do, but it's also a business that should be growing. Yes, a sponsorship is what sunk Friend Code and Reaction Shots this month, but we can't put all the blame on that. Patrons have been leaving or dropping tiers and that's not a great sign of future growth. I sincerely hope their upcoming event shows they're committed to making EZA work in the long term because I doubt any of them want this to continue to sink.

Tregard · Apr 7, 2018

A pilot season might be something for the Allies to consider, they can see what patrons are more attached to and go from there.

I really hope the announcements in April are going to be pitched as an EZA Direct.

VanWinkle · Apr 7, 2018

The biggest way to get bigger is to just heavily invest. Invest your time/money into getting the crew together more than once a week, invest money into more and way better cameras, invest time/money into a higher number of produced shows that come out on a schedule and not just randomly, etc. They HAVE to invest more into the overall production.

In addition, I think it's really hard to make a big jump in Patreon support organically, so they really have no choice but to do pledge drive events at least a couple times a year. Obviously new and MORE goals and rewards are super important, too. I think you need to put Trailer Jones at a cheaper goal, maybe $42,000, have it happen once a week, and watch/review 1-3 of the most popular trailers (with each getting its own video for maximum views/attention).

I KNOW a lot of the allies don't want to keep aping old Gametrailers things, but I guarantee it's the biggest way to get some more patrons. Putting Top 10 at $44,00 or so would be a good way to get there.

Actually, now that I think about further, having a new goal for every $2,000 between the $40k and $50k marks would be a way better way to attain the $50k goal than having people see that extra $5,000 they need (for just Trailer Jones, no less) and then another $5,000 to get to the studio. If people see, "hey, if we just get up a couple more thousand, we can get this new show; that's not bad."

ShadyK54 · Apr 7, 2018

VanWinkle said:
The biggest way to get bigger is to just heavily invest. Invest your time/money into getting the crew together more than once a week, invest money into more and way better cameras, invest time/money into a higher number of produced shows that come out on a schedule and not just randomly, etc. They HAVE to invest more into the overall production.

Going by the Patreon post, this seems to be a heavy focus they'll lean more into. I hope it pays off come E3 & it makes their coverage and streams the best they've ever been.

VanWinkle · Apr 7, 2018

Oh, one last thing. They need to find a way to hear from NON-patrons regarding what types of thing would make them jump onboard. That's the goal, right? To get them to jump in? So why ask only the people who are already your patrons?

EZA currently has around 6,000 patrons, but has a good 20,000+ people watching the Frame Trap and EZA podcasts. They have even way more than that watching the reviews. There are so many people who watch them on a weekly basis but aren't patrons. There's a lot of growth potential there.

StoveOven · Apr 7, 2018

VanWinkle said:
EZA currently has around 6,000 patrons, but has a good 20,000+ people watching the Frame Trap and EZA podcasts. They have even way more than that watching the reviews. There are so many people who watch them on a weekly basis but aren't patrons. There's a lot of growth potential there.

I think this is important. If I were them I would focus on getting viewers to become patrons less than I would focus on trying to bring in a bunch of new viewers. Like yeah, a clickbait Top 10 list might bring in a bunch of views, but are any of those people really going to then give them money on a monthly basis? The biggest opportunities for Patreon growth are figuring out why people have dropped and figuring out why dedicated fans don't donate.

VanWinkle · Apr 7, 2018

StoveOven said:
I think this is important. If I were them I would focus on getting viewers to become patrons less than I would focus on trying to bring in a bunch of new viewers. Like yeah, a clickbait Top 10 list might bring in a bunch of views, but are any of those people really going to then give them money on a monthly basis? The biggest opportunities for Patreon growth are figuring out why people have dropped and figuring out why dedicated fans don't donate.

Yup. When there are 20,000-30,000 people who watch the EZA Podcast every single week but don't donate on Patreon, there's GOT to be a way to get at least a couple thousand of them on board.

Deleted member 437 · Apr 7, 2018

VanWinkle said:
Yup. When there are 20,000-30,000 people who watch the EZA Podcast every single week but don't donate on Patreon, there's GOT to be a way to get at least a couple thousand of them on board.

Hmmm. Tell them to donate a dollar then cancel immediately. EZA approved loophole, lol.

I wonder if Kyle realizes how lucky he is he can make a puppet show and get paid for it. That wouldnt fly anywhere else. It would be nice not having to work 9-5.

ZeoVGM · Apr 7, 2018

Xenoboy said:
Cut or revamp Huber Syndrome. It's too inconsistent and talking about wrestling is a giant waste of time.

Uh, nope. No thanks. Huber Syndrome is great.

And you not being interested in a topic he discusses doesn't make it a "giant waste of time."

VanWinkle · Apr 7, 2018

Mikey Jr. said:
Hmmm. Tell them to donate a dollar then cancel immediately. EZA approved loophole, lol.

lol

ZeoVGM · Apr 7, 2018

LiquidSolid said:
I really feel like I have to bring up Kyle encouraging people to scam them at the end of the latest podcast. Blood was clearly not happy with him over it and he's right not to be. If you're going to be self deprecating, do it over something that only affects yourself, not something eight other people rely on to pay the fucking bills. It was a real dick move and is the kind of thing that makes me pessimistic about EZA's future because some of the Allies, especially Kyle, just don't seem to be taking their financials seriously. I just don't think EZA's sustainable in the long run unless they can grow out of Jones' garage and make sure more of the Allies are working full-time.

It was just a joke. There's no reason to read into it this much. I agree it seemed that Blood wasn't happy with it but that's Kyle's sense of humor: self-deprecating and dry. And they know that.

In absolutely no way does it reflect how they are treating the business and it's clear by the Patreon post that they're aware that it's time to make some changes.

I get what you're saying but it's really not a big deal.

TheDarkKnight · Apr 7, 2018

If you've followed this thread long enough you'd know I like following the patreon trends, numbers, etc. Really over the past year or so the number of patreons has stayed pretty consistent. Which is actually great. It creates stability and allows for things to cook. In general they've been around 6000 patreons each month. What changed is the dollar per patron would fluctuate. That deals with the sponsors but also movement in the mid tiers. Also What changed is the dollar per patron would fluctuate. Last year they were hovering close to 40k before the revamped tiers/goals. They then jumped $3000k a month without really gaining a lot more patreons. This was people moving to the 2,7, and 60 tiers. Really good but not a well you can keep going back to.

Peak patron numbers seems to be June last year @6300.

With simple math projections my guess is if they got to around 9000-10000 patreons they'd hit all their goals. So the focus will be trying to gain another 3000-4000 patreons and sustain them.

https://graphtreon.com/creator/EasyAllies

klastical · Apr 7, 2018

Giant bomb talked about doing a gameshow at there pax panel. The race to see who can make one first is on!

Roberto Larcos · Apr 7, 2018

I've said it before, I'll say it again, the community really seems to want First 15 to return. It's been chosen for two group streams now - it's short form, produced content - but it shouldn't (in theory) take all that long to produce. If three Allies arrive early one Tuesday, they can film 3 weeks' worth of episodes (3 different pairings), and they'd have it filmed within 90 minutes if they were snappy about it. I know they don't have the GT library, so instead one person buys a game from GameStop or wherever, has a 5 minute conversation with the other person explaining why they chose it - what drew them in, what they expect from the game, etc., then 15 minutes of gameplay. That's it.

My other grand idea is just echoing what others have said: Spin 'Ian's Torture Chambers' off into a show of its own, with other Allies contributing on builds. Ian produces those episodes really well, it has a format, even a title card and a theme. It's all there already, just spin it off into something that people will actually watch (too many people dismiss Easy Update out of hand, but it's their best content outside of the podcasts).

VanWinkle · Apr 7, 2018

Roberto Larcos said:
I've said it before, I'll say it again, the community really seems to want First 15 to return. It's been chosen for two group streams now - it's short form, produced content - but it shouldn't (in theory) take all that long to produce. If three Allies arrive early one Tuesday, they can film 3 weeks' worth of episodes (3 different pairings), and they'd have it filmed within 90 minutes if they were snappy about it. I know they don't have the GT library, so instead one person buys a game from GameStop or wherever, has a 5 minute conversation with the other person explaining why they chose it - what drew them in, what they expect from the game, etc., then 15 minutes of gameplay. That's it.

That's a good idea. I think it would work well. Gamestop has all kinds of cheap used games. I would like it if they each picked out a game without telling the other which game they picked, and then didn't present which one it was until they started filming the five minute introduction convo. They would have to take turns going into Gamestop, though, or at least not being paying attention to each other while they're in there together.

klastical · Apr 7, 2018

Roberto Larcos said:
I've said it before, I'll say it again, the community really seems to want First 15 to return. It's been chosen for two group streams now - it's short form, produced content - but it shouldn't (in theory) take all that long to produce. If three Allies arrive early one Tuesday, they can film 3 weeks' worth of episodes (3 different pairings), and they'd have it filmed within 90 minutes if they were snappy about it. I know they don't have the GT library, so instead one person buys a game from GameStop or wherever, has a 5 minute conversation with the other person explaining why they chose it - what drew them in, what they expect from the game, etc., then 15 minutes of gameplay. That's it.

My other grand idea is just echoing what others have said: Spin 'Ian's Torture Chambers' off into a show of its own, with other Allies contributing on builds. Ian produces those episodes really well, it has a format, even a title card and a theme. It's all there already, just spin it off into something that people will actually watch (too many people dismiss Easy Update out of hand, but it's their best content outside of the podcasts).

These are both good ideas. Ian could "host" ians torture chamber and help out the less creative allies with level creation and just someone to bounce ideas off of, similar to the role that don played durring the Mario maker stuff at GT.

With the first 15 show they actually receive game codes all the time so it wouldn't be hard for them to just pick out codes for games they have never heard of, or just download a bunch of them to ps4, steam or whatever to a group account and have the allies look through them and decide together.

issa · Apr 7, 2018

Silfer said:
Ehhhhhhh
I don't like these kinds of reactions cause that's too forced. This screams "yo folks love when we jump out of our seats so we'll force ourselves to do it" and they'll be like other generic YT channels. Just keep that to press conferences, that's sufficient.

They could merge it with Trailer Jones.

WarRock said:
Honestly, any editorial type of show would work, Bosman or not. A show actually covering news instead of rushing through a couple of them like they do on the podcast too.

There's a world of difference between a Bosman show and any editorial show.

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