mrixrt

How long do you think it took Epic Games to build Fortnite Battle Royale after Save the World flopped?

The answer reveals how gaming's biggest success story was actually a desperate last-minute pivot.

Save the World was supposed to be Epic's masterpiece. Six years in development. Millions invested. Complete flop.

PUBG was breaking records using Epic's own engine while Epic's zombie game gathered dust. So they made a desperate decision: build a battle royale competitor in 8 weeks using leftover assets from their failed game.

The internal reaction was explosive. Developers called it betrayal. PUBG sued them. Critics said they were just copying what worked.

But Epic had accidentally discovered something revolutionary: players don't want to buy power, they want to buy identity. Twenty dollars for a banana costume made more sense than sixty dollars for a complete game.

The development disaster that nobody wanted to play became a $40 billion blueprint for the future of entertainment.

New video breaks down how Epic turned their biggest failure into gaming's most profitable accident.

1 day ago | [YT] | 31

mrixrt

Twenty years after The Guy Game was pulled from stores following a lawsuit involving an underage contestant, I found it being sold at a gaming convention last month for $150. Same game. Same legal issues. Still changing hands.

POLL: Should controversial games be preserved as historical artifacts or completely removed from circulation?
- Preserve controversial games as historical artifacts - Important lessons shouldn't be forgotten
- Remove completely from circulation - Some content has no place in modern society
- Archive in museums only - Document but don't commercialize
- Evaluate case-by-case - Context and severity matter for each situation

This discovery led me down a rabbit hole that revealed something more troubling than the game itself: the complete silence from everyone involved. Jeff Spangenberg, the Turok creator who greenlit this project, has never given a single interview about what went wrong. Matt Sadler, the comedian who hosted it, has never publicly discussed his involvement. Twenty years of absolute silence.

What I found most disturbing while researching this story wasn't just that the game was made, but that its creation taught the gaming industry nothing. No policy changes, no industry guidelines, no soul-searching about how something like this could happen. The same cultural forces that made it seem viable in 2004 are still there.

The gaming press moved on from The Guy Game years ago, but the issues it represents; exploitation, lack of accountability, the willingness to push boundaries without considering consequences... those issues are still relevant today.

My full investigation is out now, featuring court documents, industry testimonies, and the uncomfortable truth about why you can still buy this game at conventions in 2025. This isn't just about one problematic game, it's about how an entire industry moves on without learning from its mistakes.

What are your thoughts on controversial gaming history? Should these stories be told, or is it better to let them fade into obscurity?

1 month ago | [YT] | 63

mrixrt

I talked about Hideo Kojima on ‪@CrubOfficial‬ and they called it a hot take

Namely: Kojima games are better to discuss than play, he was better under Konami's constraints, and his fans take him way too seriously

1 month ago | [YT] | 14

mrixrt

After months of investigation, I've published what may be the most important video I've ever made. Former Limited Run Games employees have come forward with shocking revelations about what really happened behind the scenes at the physical game publisher:

- CEO Josh Fairhurst allegedly told staff "We can't get caught because we don't release sales numbers" regarding secret reprints of "limited" games
- Employees describe being monitored through secret webcams and working in fear
- The truth about the 3DO CD-R scandal that collectors have suspected for years
- How company credit card rewards were allegedly converted to COACH gift cards for personal profit

This investigation involved reviewing hundreds of documents, conducting extensive interviews, and navigating significant legal challenges to bring you the truth. While I had to be extremely careful, the evidence paints a disturbing picture of what happened when game preservation became secondary to profit.

For those interested in how this investigation came together, I've posted an in-depth behind-the-scenes breakdown for my Patreon supporters, detailing the hours of interviews, document analysis, and the challenges of protecting anonymous sources while telling their stories.

If you collect physical games or care about the preservation of gaming history, this is a video you can't afford to miss.

4 months ago | [YT] | 565

mrixrt

Hey everyone! I just dropped what might be my most important investigation yet. For the past several months, I've been digging into how Comic Relief created a "charitable" Roblox game that essentially teaches kids to gamble. What I found was worse than I expected - from predatory monetization to shocking behind-the-scenes practices.
This one took hundreds of hours of research and careful legal review. I think you'll be surprised by how deep this rabbit hole goes. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below - especially if you or someone you know has experienced these games firsthand.

7 months ago | [YT] | 301

mrixrt

My next video is in final production, and should be out soon. This one's going to be a lot more investigative.

7 months ago | [YT] | 119

mrixrt

After months of research and dozens of interviews, I've finally finished my investigation into YouTube gaming's dark underbelly. This was honestly one of the hardest videos I've ever made - diving into financial exploitation, algorithmic manipulation, and the death of authentic criticism wasn't easy. But these stories need to be told.

From leaked documents to shocking financial revelations, what I uncovered changed how I view our entire industry.

The YouTube gaming landscape is broken. From algorithmic manipulation to financial exploitation, this video exposes the harsh realities facing content creators and viewers alike. We dive deep into the financial struggles of "successful" creators, revealing how even channels with 100,000 subscribers might earn just $18,000 annually from ads. Learn how Sega's PR disasters led to creator doxxing, how Keemstar justified platforming problematic figures for content, and why companies like THQ Nordic advertise on videos criticizing their own failures.

Featuring shocking revelations about sponsorship manipulation, including leaked documents from Black Myth: Wukong restricting creator speech, and RagnarRox's experiences with PR agencies demanding mandatory praise points. Understand how The Algorithm shapes content, why nuanced criticism is dying, and how channels like GameXplain paid creators just $1-2 per hour for reviews.

From The Completionist's charity scandal to the rewriting of gaming history, this investigation exposes how YouTube's gaming ecosystem corrupts authentic discourse and threatens the future of gaming criticism.

8 months ago | [YT] | 225

mrixrt

Ever wondered how a $200 million game could fail in just 12 days? That's exactly what happened with Concord, and I've spent weeks digging into this fascinating disaster. In my latest video, I break down the 10 fatal flaws that led to Concord's spectacular implosion. From its bloated budget to its marketing missteps, this story has it all. I've pored over industry reports, analyzed player feedback, and even played the game myself (yes, I'm one of the few who did!) to bring you the most comprehensive analysis of this gaming catastrophe.


What really shocked me during my research was how a team of industry veterans, including ex-Bungie developers, could miss the mark so badly. It's a sobering reminder that even the most experienced teams can falter in today's complex gaming landscape.


This video isn't just about Concord's failure - it's a deep dive into the challenges of modern game development, the pitfalls of entering a saturated market, and the crucial importance of player engagement. Whether you're a gaming enthusiast or an aspiring developer, there are valuable lessons to be learned here.


So grab your popcorn, settle in, and let's unravel one of the most fascinating failures in recent gaming history. Trust me, this is one postmortem you don't want to miss!

11 months ago | [YT] | 196

mrixrt

For a few dollars and a few hours, you can fully experience my list of must-play titles that define the gaming zeitgeist today. I've spent some time compiling a great list of genre defining, industry shifting, conversation starting games. These are all the games you've heard people talk about, and if you follow my list you can become a knowledgeable gamer quickly by playing these games that you can beat in a single day.

1 year ago | [YT] | 11