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06-05-2009, 09:07 AM
Alright heres an explanation, as to why its taken almost a year to release another episode, and to why the may release never came out..
(Jarett) (AKA Jeremy)
My apologies for the very late timing of this post. I hope that after reading it through you'll understand the care and consideration it required.
First and foremost: Pure Pwnage episode 19 has, most Captain Obvious'ly, been delayed. It would be irresponsible of me to suggest a new release date at this time, so I won't. When I wrote the news post in April, it was foolishly optimistic and I'm deeply sorry for setting expectations that I couldn't meet.
I'm going to be totally open about these past 9 months so that we can move on from here, no matter where we're going, with honesty and integrity.
In September 2008, Geoff respectfully informed me that he would no longer be involved on set with Pure Pwnage, and that he would also no longer be the show's editor. I faced the decision of either focusing entirely on new projects and leaving the show in limbo, or completing the show we've been promising for years by whatever means necessary. It took approximately 0.02 seconds to make my decision, and I've never regretted it, even after all that's happened.
At that time the game project had been in development for about a year and was experiencing its first crunch period. With an original launch estimation of October 31st, 2008, it became clear with the date fast approaching that there was no hope of getting it finished in time. As the project continued to develop, the scope continued to expand, and so we pushed the launch back to January 31st.
In November I wrote a script for episode 19 and also started work on Project X. Joel flew down for filming at the beginning of December and everything seemed to be falling comfortably into place. We were having a lot of fun and it reminded me of the early days, before all of the pressure, when the show was just a show, and not also the business it inevitably (and thankfully) grew into. On Friday, December 5th, Troy came over to hang out and talk about the upcoming shoots. I hadn't seen him in over a month at this point, and we ended up hanging out, playing games and listening to tunes until 4 in the morning. The following afternoon, less than 12 hours after he left my apartment, he was killed instantly in a car accident. It's extremely difficult for me to describe the impact this had on my state of mind. I'm lucky enough to say that by the age of 30, I'd never lost a friend before. And little did I know, I was about to lose another just seven days later. The rest of December and early January is still a blur for me. I had slipped into what I've since come to understand as severe depression.
By mid-January it was becoming clear that the game project couldn't make its January 31st deadline. This wouldn't have been a big deal if that deadline wasn't also being imposed by a small third party investor named the Government of Canada. Meanwhile the forums were slowly descending into chaos due to ROFLMAO's silence following Troy's death. In the final week of January we managed to get a flexible extension for the game's deadline, my health was improving, and I started to work on re-writing episode 19. On the 27th I wrote this blog post. There was a lot of exciting stuff in the works: the new episode, the game, and Project X.
In mid-February I visited a doctor due to a recurring pain in my side. I had been ignoring it for a few months, but it had slowly grown to the point where it was affecting many aspects of my life. After a lump was found during an ultrasound exam, I immediately concluded the worst and slipped back into a very deep depression. After spending a few weeks in and out of various doctor's offices, the results were "positive": no cancer and no risk of death, but permanent, chronic pain due to nerve damage. As a result of my overall condition at the time, it was strongly recommended that I take a leave of absence.
So, naturally, I immediately went back to work. Try explaining to a doctor that a million people around the world are waiting for you to finish your Internet job and not have him recommend a psychiatrist. Splitting my time between Pure Pwnage, the game project and Project X, I continued work on the script and started booking shoots. The game was still not beta-ready, but we had added another member to the team (now totalling 5) and things were moving forward at a great pace. Then in mid-April, shortly after writing the news post which still sits atop the main page, and following what would normally be considered nothing more than a minor production 'hiccup', I suffered what is commonly described as a nervous breakdown. The cumulative stress resulting from the deaths of my friends, my ill personal health, the now four-months-behind game project, the weight of the entire Pure Pwnage series, and the uncertainty of Project X had an abrupt and severe impact on my ability to function, including temporarily impacting my speech, short-term memory, and motor functions. My doctor ordered me to stop working immediately, and this time I took him seriously. After taking a couple weeks off, including a visit to Calgary to see friends and family (and some fans at the comic-con), I went back to working in a part-time capacity spread across all three projects. This is where we are now.
I know this post is of a very personal nature, but I feel as though over the past five years we've built a pretty unique relationship with our audience, a bond that no show creators to my knowledge have ever had, and you deserve nothing less than the truth, as harsh or depressing as it may be. No corporate bullshit, no marketing slants, just one human being talking to another.
I love Pure Pwnage. It's been the greatest thing to ever happen in my life, and there's a good chance it'll keep that crown forever. There have been many days where I've seriously questioned whether or not this could even be real, or if I was smoked in the head by a car and lying in a coma in a hospital dreaming it all up. I'd often break into these random, big, dumb smiles, looking all goofy, simply because I spent one moment thinking about how lucky I've been these past 5 years. I'm especially thankful that I was raised in an environment that's allowed me to fully appreciate how amazing this gift has been. I've never lost hope, even with all that's happened until now, that the "show will go on". I would never be comfortable or forgive myself for leaving the series as it is now. While it's highly unlikely there will still be 3 seasons, I am absolutely committed to giving this story the proper ending it deserves.
I know many of you have already given up and will hate on the show forever. I accept and take responsibility for that. For those of you who will stick it out, I'll do my best to not let you down. I'm extremely excited about the direction we're headed in these next episodes, and I think you will be too.
-Jarett
clarification edit: Geoff hasn't left ROFLMAO Productions and will continue to make the amazing music in Pure Pwnage. He's also working on Project X.
(Jarett) (AKA Jeremy)
My apologies for the very late timing of this post. I hope that after reading it through you'll understand the care and consideration it required.
First and foremost: Pure Pwnage episode 19 has, most Captain Obvious'ly, been delayed. It would be irresponsible of me to suggest a new release date at this time, so I won't. When I wrote the news post in April, it was foolishly optimistic and I'm deeply sorry for setting expectations that I couldn't meet.
I'm going to be totally open about these past 9 months so that we can move on from here, no matter where we're going, with honesty and integrity.
In September 2008, Geoff respectfully informed me that he would no longer be involved on set with Pure Pwnage, and that he would also no longer be the show's editor. I faced the decision of either focusing entirely on new projects and leaving the show in limbo, or completing the show we've been promising for years by whatever means necessary. It took approximately 0.02 seconds to make my decision, and I've never regretted it, even after all that's happened.
At that time the game project had been in development for about a year and was experiencing its first crunch period. With an original launch estimation of October 31st, 2008, it became clear with the date fast approaching that there was no hope of getting it finished in time. As the project continued to develop, the scope continued to expand, and so we pushed the launch back to January 31st.
In November I wrote a script for episode 19 and also started work on Project X. Joel flew down for filming at the beginning of December and everything seemed to be falling comfortably into place. We were having a lot of fun and it reminded me of the early days, before all of the pressure, when the show was just a show, and not also the business it inevitably (and thankfully) grew into. On Friday, December 5th, Troy came over to hang out and talk about the upcoming shoots. I hadn't seen him in over a month at this point, and we ended up hanging out, playing games and listening to tunes until 4 in the morning. The following afternoon, less than 12 hours after he left my apartment, he was killed instantly in a car accident. It's extremely difficult for me to describe the impact this had on my state of mind. I'm lucky enough to say that by the age of 30, I'd never lost a friend before. And little did I know, I was about to lose another just seven days later. The rest of December and early January is still a blur for me. I had slipped into what I've since come to understand as severe depression.
By mid-January it was becoming clear that the game project couldn't make its January 31st deadline. This wouldn't have been a big deal if that deadline wasn't also being imposed by a small third party investor named the Government of Canada. Meanwhile the forums were slowly descending into chaos due to ROFLMAO's silence following Troy's death. In the final week of January we managed to get a flexible extension for the game's deadline, my health was improving, and I started to work on re-writing episode 19. On the 27th I wrote this blog post. There was a lot of exciting stuff in the works: the new episode, the game, and Project X.
In mid-February I visited a doctor due to a recurring pain in my side. I had been ignoring it for a few months, but it had slowly grown to the point where it was affecting many aspects of my life. After a lump was found during an ultrasound exam, I immediately concluded the worst and slipped back into a very deep depression. After spending a few weeks in and out of various doctor's offices, the results were "positive": no cancer and no risk of death, but permanent, chronic pain due to nerve damage. As a result of my overall condition at the time, it was strongly recommended that I take a leave of absence.
So, naturally, I immediately went back to work. Try explaining to a doctor that a million people around the world are waiting for you to finish your Internet job and not have him recommend a psychiatrist. Splitting my time between Pure Pwnage, the game project and Project X, I continued work on the script and started booking shoots. The game was still not beta-ready, but we had added another member to the team (now totalling 5) and things were moving forward at a great pace. Then in mid-April, shortly after writing the news post which still sits atop the main page, and following what would normally be considered nothing more than a minor production 'hiccup', I suffered what is commonly described as a nervous breakdown. The cumulative stress resulting from the deaths of my friends, my ill personal health, the now four-months-behind game project, the weight of the entire Pure Pwnage series, and the uncertainty of Project X had an abrupt and severe impact on my ability to function, including temporarily impacting my speech, short-term memory, and motor functions. My doctor ordered me to stop working immediately, and this time I took him seriously. After taking a couple weeks off, including a visit to Calgary to see friends and family (and some fans at the comic-con), I went back to working in a part-time capacity spread across all three projects. This is where we are now.
I know this post is of a very personal nature, but I feel as though over the past five years we've built a pretty unique relationship with our audience, a bond that no show creators to my knowledge have ever had, and you deserve nothing less than the truth, as harsh or depressing as it may be. No corporate bullshit, no marketing slants, just one human being talking to another.
I love Pure Pwnage. It's been the greatest thing to ever happen in my life, and there's a good chance it'll keep that crown forever. There have been many days where I've seriously questioned whether or not this could even be real, or if I was smoked in the head by a car and lying in a coma in a hospital dreaming it all up. I'd often break into these random, big, dumb smiles, looking all goofy, simply because I spent one moment thinking about how lucky I've been these past 5 years. I'm especially thankful that I was raised in an environment that's allowed me to fully appreciate how amazing this gift has been. I've never lost hope, even with all that's happened until now, that the "show will go on". I would never be comfortable or forgive myself for leaving the series as it is now. While it's highly unlikely there will still be 3 seasons, I am absolutely committed to giving this story the proper ending it deserves.
I know many of you have already given up and will hate on the show forever. I accept and take responsibility for that. For those of you who will stick it out, I'll do my best to not let you down. I'm extremely excited about the direction we're headed in these next episodes, and I think you will be too.
-Jarett
clarification edit: Geoff hasn't left ROFLMAO Productions and will continue to make the amazing music in Pure Pwnage. He's also working on Project X.