A Very Exciting Update!!! (Patreon)

Aaaahhhhhh excitingness!!!  I should be writing the script for my next video, but I'm too excited not to share!  Also it's been a while since the last blog, so hey, let's do it!

This has been an amazing last few weeks as far as opportunities go.  But I'll break the tension right now and get the most recent and most exciting news out of the way first:

I,

Arlo,

have been accepted...

INTO THE NINTENDO BRAND AMBASSADOR PROGRAM!!!

Yes, I imagine you're out of your seat right now, cheering and jumping around like a maniac, regardless of where you might be watching this or what time it is.  And if you don't know exactly what this program is, basically it's the thing you gotta be in to get review copies of Nintendo games.  Other companies work largely on a game-by-game basis; I imagine if you're a large enough publication they probably go out of their way to make sure you get every game, but for the most part you've got to bug them for a copy every time a new release comes around.  Not Nintendo though, you've got to get into their Super Special Secret Club for Awesome People if you want to play their games early.  And, if you've been following for a while, you know that I've been trying to get in for AGES.  The first few videos I ever did that got any attention were pretty critical of games that hadn't been released yet, which goes directly against the program's code of conduct, so they weren't into letting me in.   They must have forgiven me though, because I just got the email that I've been accepted, which is funny because just earlier today I decided that I needed to followup on my most recent application, because it had been a while since I'd heard anything.

So what now?  Well, if I'm lucky, I'll get games like Samus Returns and Super Mario Odyssey early, though technically they can give out whatever they want to whoever, so at present there's no guarantee.  I'm really hopeful though, because getting an early copy of Super Mario Odyssey is my White Whale, it's the thing I want the most right now.  A timely review would be hugely helpful for me, and just getting early games in general is going to put my reviewing on another level.  Which is great, because as I'm always complaining, reviews take a tremendous amount of work that doesn't usually pay off when the review comes late.  My Splatoon 2 review for instance was something of a labor of love.  It's the first video I've ever had two ads on because it was close to a half hour long, so it made a little more money-per-view or whatever you call it, but it didn't perform too great.  Same thing with my Mario Kart 8 Deluxe review, I put so much into it but it came so late that it wasn't really that worth it.  However I knew I needed to do it for my reputation as a "Gamey McReviewGuy" (the official term) and because I knew my fans would appreciate them.  But now it's all paid off, and things are going to get much, much better as far as reviews go!

But perhaps more importantly, this opens up an official relationship with Nintendo.  I know there are a lot of Youtubers who are much bigger than me, but it means that working with Nintendo on some project or another or attending an event or anything along those lines is now possible.  They can request me and my services in an official capacity, and that's just so exciting to me.  Who knows, if I get big enough maybe they'll be flying me up to Washington to shoot a video with Reggie!  One can only dream...

So that's amazing, but it's not all!  As you saw, I was able to get an early copy of Sonic Mania from Sega and release my review along with everybody else!  One, any time I get a code from a big company it feels great, but two, it means that my review is performing quite well.  It's gotten me a good number of new fans, and it's just more evidence that early games are going to change the game for me.  Sorry I wasn't able to tell you guys about it beforehand, everything moved pretty quickly once they accepted my request and sent me a code.

Then yet ANOTHER exciting thing!  I contacted Ubisoft a while back about getting an early copy of Mario + Rabbids, and right when I figured that they just weren't interested, I got an email back.  Thing is, this wasn't just an email telling me that I'd get an early copy, but an offer for what will soon be my very first sponsored video!

What's that?  The idea of a sponsored video worries you?  Understandable.  There's nothing worse than feeling like a Youtuber has "sold out" and that you can no longer trust their opinion for fear of it being swayed by dollar signs.  Fear not, my friends, for it's all going to be very open and transparent, and I'll vow here as well as anywhere else I might need to:

I, Arlo, will never give an opinion that is anything other than my real and honest opinion.  If a company wants me to make a sponsored video where I give an opinion that is not my own, I will simply not take the offer.  Therefor, you can be sure that any opinions given in a sponsored video are my own and not swayed in any way by money.  And of course making a video that's nothing but an advertisement with little to no entertainment value is also out of the question.  If it isn't a video I would otherwise make or stand behind quality-wise, it doesn't belong on my channel.

I also worked to make sure I could make a video that would promote the game without just saying, "This game is great, go buy it!"  I won't give you all the specifics, but you can rest assured that it will be just like a normal Arlo video.  And this is also a really great relationship builder for me, which could lead to more possibilities in the future.  Sponsorships might make some people uncomfortable, but they're one of the only reasons a lot of channels exist, and if handled correctly can be beneficial to all parties, fans included.  Basically the less I have to rely on ad revenue, the more freedom I have in running my channel and creating content.

So I'm really hoping that this doesn't weird anyone out or anything, heh.  I just have to hope that my fans trust me with this type of thing.  Because I really do promise to never compromise video quality or my own integrity just to make a quick buck.

[This blog post was sponsored by...Sponsorships!(TM)  "They're great!"(c)]

Anyway, so all that's pretty exciting.  I'm finally getting in with gaming companies, and it feels really good.  It feels like I might really start turning the channel into a big thing.  And once I can get over that hump and start making enough, I can truly work on the channel full time.  Oh, what a sweet dream that is, my wonderful patrons.  The idea of having all the time I want to make videos...  It's pretty much what I want more than anything else at this point.

But hey, speaking of supplemental income, I'm in the process of finalizing the t-shirt designs and setting up the store, so you'll be able to buy Arlo shirts very soon!  No solid date, but I'll be sure to put a big announcement in an upcoming video.  I have positively no idea how many sales to expect, but even a small amount will help tremendously and get me just a little closer to that full-time goal.

And you know what?  I usually do this at the end of each post, but I'm doing it now!  Speaking of all this money stuff, I've gotten a bunch of new patrons recently, and I just want to thank all of you, really and truly from the bottom of my heart.  I'm currently building the type of career I've wanted my entire life, and it's thanks to you guys.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, without you guys here on Patreon I don't think I'd have been able to commit as much to the channel as I have, and thus the channel would not be what it is now.  Ad revenue alone is just about impossible to rely on at this level, so you guys are keeping things going, no joke.

Okay, enough with the money talk!  What am I currently working on?  Weeeellll....

First up, I needed a video for next week so I got to pull from my list of ideas, which is always nice when I've been doing a lot of reviews and topical stuff.  That list is getting pretty long, so it feels good to scratch something off of it.  The idea I grabbed was a discussion about what other Wii U titles might or might not get ported over to the Switch.  That's the script I'm going to return to right when I'm done with this, actually.  So far I think it's going to be good; it's fun running down the list of the Wii U's biggest games and giving reasons for and against ports.  If I manage to keep to my one-a-week schedule you can expect that one on Tuesday, though I've had a depressingly tiny amount of time to work on videos this week, so hey, fingers crossed.

Very conveniently one week after that will be when my Mario + Rabbids video goes live.  Unfortunately that's exactly when the game launches, so I won't be releasing a full review quite on time, or else it might draw too much attention away from the sponsored video.  However I will be releasing the review as soon as I can after that, maybe a few days later if I'm lucky and can actually finish it that quickly.  The good thing though is that even if it's late, it won't be WEEKS late like a few of these other ones I've done, because at the very least I'll be playing the game early.  So basically that's two videos right there.

Then after that will be the week before Samus Returns comes out, so I want to make a video tentatively titled: "Samus Returns and the Art of Supporting a Series".  It will talk a little about how Metroid needs some serious sales if it's going to survive, but I'll also get into how artificially inflated numbers aren't a good thing, and that no one should buy a game unless they actually really want it, and really just talk about the best ways to support a series that you like.  I think it's a really fun discussion point, and I might even get in on the whole #OperationSamusReturns thing.  And THEN, of course, will come the review!  If I don't end up getting it early I'll have to pull from my magic idea bag to fill that week's slot, but if I do then the timing will be just about perfect.  Well, seeing as September 15th is a little more than two weeks from August 29th I might have to think of something to close in that gap anyway to keep my weekly average...  I don't know, I'll figure it out later.  And another thing I've got to figure out is how to get a hold of footage from the game, as I still don't have 3DS modded with a capture card.  If I'd gotten into the Brand Ambassador program one or two years ago I would have bought one no question, but Samus Returns might very well be the last game I even buy for my 3DS, so I don't think it would be worth springing for a modded one.  So I've just got to hope I can find another reviewer or something that's willing to share footage.

But as you can tell, I've pretty much got the next month booked solid!  It always feels great when things are planned out so neatly.  The only problem, as usual, is getting enough time to do it all.  The last few weeks were particularly bad as far as that goes, but by running myself through the wringer I was able to get out the Splatoon 2 and Sonic Mania reviews, which I'm really happy about.  Just knock on wood that I can get the time to do...well...all this other stuff.  :/

Oh, I've been meaning to tell you guys that the magazine giveaway is over.  Winners, take a bow down in the comments!  Also just in case you didn't watch the Splatoon 2 review and don't follow me on Twitter, I'm having a fan event called Arlopalooza in October!  More info can be found at the end of the review and on the event page here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1721607781478786/

But basically it's just sort of a casual meet-and-greet slash "let's all play Splatoon together" type of deal, and I won't really know more until I get a head count.  If any of you guys are close to Redding, CA I hope to see you there!

My goodness, is this the longest update ever?  It's felt that way a number of times, so probably not.  But I really need to get back to that script!  You guys have a great day, and keep being awesome!