Zeebo Video Progress Update! [SSFF] (Patreon)

Hey all!

I wanted to share a bit of our process with the upcoming Zeebo Past Mortem. The edit is NEARLY final, but we decided to take extra time to tweak some things. Such a relief that y’all have given us the ability to do that!

The above video is actually the old version of the intro for the video. We decided to scrap it because (imo) it feels like several intros in one and doesn’t actually set up the video very well. I’m always critical about the first 10% or so of any video; after the thumbnail, it’s probably the most important piece to attract and keep people interested. The intro portion before the bumper especially needs to be a teaser that proves the video is worth your time, especially important since we’re looking at a 40 min runtime. Also I can’t sell the Zeebo short!! It deserves better 😤While it’s definitely serviceable, this intro didn’t hit that mark for me. We decided to rewrite a new one, which is below:

Hey I’m Derek it’s me Derek and welcome to stop skeletons from fighting. And welcome my dog dollop, this is her usual spot when we’re not shooting and didn’t want, would you move her? But the important thing here is… it’s Zeebo time! This right here my friends is one of the most ambitious video game systems ever made! Released in 2009, the Zeebo was created to change the world of video games. But I don’t mean it intended to take down the Wii or Xbox 360, Zeebo had its sights on untapped markets typically ignored by major video game companies. Places like China, India, and of course the birthplace of the Zeebo, Brazil. And really, Brazil is the only country that could’ve birthed something like the Zeebo. After all, the land of palms is the video gaming industry’s alternate universe, where Netflix first came on a PS2 disc, Duke Nukem 3D was licensed for the Mega Drive, and Sega absolutely demolished Nintendo in the 90’s console war. But it is also a wonderland of a legendarily bonkers bootleg and piracy scene. The PolyStation, the Gra-ji-en-chi Phantom, Sonic 4 on the Super Nintendo. Brazil’s gray market is truly a rabbit hole with no bottom.

But this bizarro world of weird officials and even weirder bootlegs doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. Because of long-standing and complicated import laws, the legit side of Brazil’s video game scene is pretty sparse. Meaning the demand for video games is symbiotically filled by the streets. But then, how are corporations supposed to compete with that? How would corporations cut through the gray market bootleggers in South America’s largest and most populous economy? The Zeebo was the answer! It was a home console, built on mobile game tech, with buy-in’s from major game makers, designed to bring legal gaming to the masses of Brazil, and then, the world. …And from almost every conceivable angle, it was one of the biggest failures the world of video games has ever seen. Welcome to Past Mortem, and it is my utmost pleasure to break down and explore for you the most weird, ambitious, and unnecessary console from the land of palms: the Zeebo.

I’m hoping this will be more entertaining, and I think it’ll be really fun to show off some fun Brazilian weirdness. One thing I’m noticing as I write this all down is that it’s missing is a mention of the big name third party support — things like Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart and Resident Evil 4 on the Zeebo. Something that was was in the old intro!! I’m move that line about that after the Past Mortem bumper I think. Derek always says videos are never done, they’re ready lol.

I’m anticipating a 10 day turnaround for the final video on this one. We’re also getting a Punching Weight ready for y’all as well. Happy February!

Edit: There are a few other things we are changing in the video, not just the intro! Don’t want to make it seem like it’ll take 10 days to edit 90 seconds!! 😳

Grace