Correcting Quackalope and ultimate fallout - final update

[@bencpower]

I've been following Quackalope for a while. Jesse I dont think his intentions are bad, but I do feel he has classic narcissist tendencies that get in the way. He stretches the truth, gaslights, has a grandiose opinion of himself and his work. He constantly snips at his work partners. He's pulled some stunts to get attention then plays victim when they go bad. He's turned to click bait titles and controversial content to generate buzz and conversations. I think this situation is just a by product of who he is as a person, not something he was actually trying to do. Every person that has worked with him has left for probably these reason. He's going to really need to work on himself to change the way people view him.

[@Brummie29]

Couldn’t agree more, I’m not here to dump on Jesse but you did hit the nail on the head there. From his very early videos you could see the pride he put into his “production”, a carry over from his profession. However with this a classic narcissism and smugness developed. The guy constantly interrupts/talk over people to add his point of view. Jan, Alex, the list goes on and on

[@bencpower]

@@Brummie29 Yeah, I really liked Jan and felt he brought a good balance. Same with Devon. Didn't take either of them long to move on.

[@TheKingofAverage]

Oh 100% agreed, I don't think he ever was malicious at all. Just needs to take a step back and work in changing a bit. I had to do the same thing myself

[@shaneannigans]

Well said. I don't have a clue who is at fault (or if anyone is) and have better things to do than get invested in it. But I've felt the same way about Jesse for ages which is why I unsubscribed from them a while back during the clickbait barrage. I DO really like all the OTHER people on his channel and hope they all set up their own channels.

[@thegameskingdom811]

Perhaps he needs to spend some time off camera and let the others take centre stage instead

[@scotthenderson1762]

Another great take on this situation by Board Game Rundown airing last night, calls out The King of Average as one of the best balanced commentaries on this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZi9mYtjYtZ2odk I dropped off subscribing to Quackalope when they went to the giveaway format, a while back. That just wasn't what I was tuning in for and turned me off.

[@gaelrebmann9629]

Thank you for mentioning this video, I would have probably missed it or discovered it too late, when it is not a hot topic anymore😅. I like that they took a more legal approach to their observations

[@jamesmorgan1967]

Thanks for posting this. The lawyer's take on this is very interesting. As some of the less reactive folks have been saying all along, this situation has many layers to it.

[@vinnieyang5422]

The issue with this video is that they try to come off as objective and impartial with just facts but they are friends with West and that already creates a conflict of interest. If you look at the comments that they are hearting (not sure if that's the correct term for it) it shows that they definitely side with Quackalope (even if it's indirectly through West). As for the content of the video itself, they only lightly touch on the veiled threat (whether it was meant as one or not, it definitely comes across as one) in the emails but then go on to start talking about BGG ratings and the whole thing stinks of an attempt at trying to reframe the narrative as - Into The Unknown taking in part in illegal activity, trying to buy positive reviews, and manipulating the BGG rating.

[@oliverlam5208]

I agree. He is apologizing to everyone who misunderstood him. He never apologizes for his own actions. There are so many content creators out there. I much rather spend my time and money on others.

[@getgaymin]

preach. This is the kind of yt drama shenanigans peeps like Gabbie Hana or Trish Paytas can get away with because they have huge stan followings, but he just didn't have the same level of clout/loyal viewership to really weather this. He seems to be attempting a comeback, but predictably, the sponsorships have really dried up. This is SUCH a niche space, you can't really afford to burn any bridges like this. smh

[@Sammo212]

His focus on Kickstarter stuff was what drew me away tbh.

[@ShelfClutter]

I know you're a software developer but dang you'd do well as a detective or investigative journalist 🕵‍♂

[@TheKingofAverage]

I still squirm at the word journalist, but thank you. Happy to lay out what happened but also happy to move on now :)

[@sablestar1956]

@@TheKingofAverage I really appreciate what you’re reporting and how you’re reporting it. You’re like the HR department for board game consumers. We need someone like you making a hard line for the consumer. Developers are thinking about us less and less I’ve noticed. You have arrived just in time.

[@getgaymin]

you did good on this one, brother@@TheKingofAverage

[@mattnottm8363]

A simple 1 minute apology video would've done Jesse a world of good. As it is, I don't think his team/ partner did him any favours by putting out the video unedited, in full. With the released emails, this video actually makes him look worst

[@grog3514]

He's a slime ball. This isn't hard.

[@RadeTcg]

It’s only a shame he still has 43k subs. Over time it will be forgotten and he will start trying to charge publishers $2500 per video again …

[@saveversus]

A few people and I echoed your opinion that the double video format has got to go.

[@GettinJiggly]

I think it would have been better if it wasn't so over the top and more like his original Confirmation Bias videos, see KDM where he did it more like 5 things liked in one video and 5 things didn't like in the other

[@saveversus]

@GettinJiggly Probably. I think if you're going to throw salt though, you should temper it with sugar. I think they knew they were posting a spicy video because the positive one was like an hour long.

[@sablestar1956]

That apology looked like another one of his stunts. I agree, that apology made it worse.

[@kaijuh]

The biggest thing is that he is both contradicting (aka lying) widely available evidence and he is also fake apologising by saying "Im sorry you feel about it that way". The fake apology just came across narcistic and that's why he keeps losing subscribers.

[@MIKEaddictedtoYT]

If you've followed his channel in any bit, he does these "woe is me" videos fairly often. Probably his 3rd for 4th one. A foreboding recurring theme it seems

[@kaijuh]

@@MIKEaddictedtoYT The whole 20min preface about people setting up "narratives", talking about religion, conveniently changing the narrative to fit his own "narrative" etc just came out scummy. When I first got into the hobby, I watched his videos because I didn't know any better, and the more I watched the worse it got. For example, go to his most recent mail video with Shira being back full time and take a shot everytime he interrupts her in "her own video"..... Even tells her to "shut up Shira, we are talking". Hundreds of comments were like "YIKES", he keeps deleting them, but some are still there. That was just one of the many personalities traits that turned me off his channel. The dude comes across as a Narcistic Click Bait Edge Lord

[@kaijuh]

Also, KoA missed out on this again. KoA didn't give the context of HOW sorry was used. He just looked at the timestamp which was clearly not enough. He’s sorry that people “misinterpreted” what he said wrong. He denies he did anything wrong. Most of the video he laments he was wronged. It’s a non apology apology. Go watch the way "Sorry" was used for yourself

[@Aegith345]

Never subscribed as he came across disingenuous, didn’t cover the types of games I play, and just had terrible videos that didn’t show gameplay, but showcased him over the game.

[@kaijuh]

@@Aegith345 exactly what I told some friends, It's like he was using Kickstarter game hype to become an influencer... I eventually noticed how little camera time the games got vs him.... it was a bit shocking when you compare to other proper boardgaming channels where the majority of the video is focused on the game and not on the face of the presenter.

[@BayonetRecon]

Please don’t let this be the final update. I just bought a large box of popcorn for the occasion.

[@nickp.2169]

Whining about his patreon and youtube earnings not keeping his channel afloat means he is doing buisness wrong and maybe he expanded to fast? Shady vibes from that dude. There are better content creators than quackalope to watch.

[@timf7354]

Just wanted to give you kudos on giving constructive criticism. A lot of things can be taken as attacks on someone but the way you phrased things (as well as just being a genuinely kind person) they came across very logical and i hope mamy people can learn from this. A lot of people mean well with their apologies but they can fall flat even when not meant to.

[@TheKingofAverage]

Yeah it's a hard balance but I feel the heart shows through. I hope he's able to grow and do well

[@ScytheNoire]

Jesse is the one who will end up hurting off this. There were already issues with how much he did paid content, but didn't disclose it as paid content, but now his reputation has become even more tainted. Remember that BoardGameCo and Quackalope had the same subscriber numbers at one point, but Jesse is now thousands behind. Alex and Devon stopped working with Jesse, each for their own reason, and I think both of them are really standup guys. Alex is a business man, and Devon is just a sweetie. It will be interesting to see if CMON and IV Games backs away, as they have been his biggest supporters.

[@kenrickcarlsonkeh191]

​@@SeerMagicX what do you mean?

[@wyatth2992]

​@dustin39 I agree, but for a different reason. Alex supported and suggested a campaign that his good friend at the time, Jesse, was working with. Alex refused to mention that Jesse was involved with the game, even after receiving some backlash. I think the campaign was Legends Academy, or something like that. I remember that it was on Gamefound.

[@TheTerrainWizard]

Somehow Quackalooe convinced Shoshie Bauer to paint a huge Galactus miniature for CMON, for FREE! Meanwhile Shoshie charges me $250 per 32 mm miniature. 🤷🏻‍♂️ CMON makes millions with their kickstarters I make about 10k. Help it all make sense.

[@ScytheNoire]

@@TheTerrainWizard Shoshie might paint a huge figure for free for you too if you have an exclusive figure no one else has yet, that a lot of people will be buying, that will be posted to a KZbin channel with 40,000+ subs, and get even more watches than that. It's called free exposure to a new audience of potential customers. CMON wasn't the one getting the figure painted for them, Jesse was. CMON gets Big Child Creatives to paint their miniatures and figures, who do amazing jobs, and they probably charge far more for their paint jobs.

[@TheTerrainWizard]

@@ScytheNoire all of the miniatures we manufacture are original. I’m still missing your point.

[@tedharrington5432]

4 kids?! How do you find the time to do everything?

[@TheKingofAverage]

Easy, skip sleep!

[@tedharrington5432]

@@TheKingofAverage 🤣

[@SeanUCF]

King is trying to repopulate the earth all on his own, LOL

[@lohandebner]

When I was watching, I had to pause and back 10 seconds the video to cofirm that I listened the right number 😅

[@daveyjones501]

Probably not the first person to suggest this - but I want to see two more videos, one titled “Jesse I’d the worst person in the board game industry” and a second one “Jesse, 8/10”

[@zenster1097]

No. Because you just look at the word sorry. He’s sorry that people “misinterpreted” what he said wrong. He denies he did anything wrong. That he was misconstrued by ITU and the public, and he felt he could be more careful and accurate. That’s a different apology. Not one that he thinks he was really wrong. In fact, most of the video he laments he was wronged and betrayed. It’s a non-apology apology.

[@paulrose4735]

At least someone watched the same video I did.

[@zenster1097]

@@paulrose4735 Not sure what you mean? Watching the statement video?

[@kaijuh]

EXACTLY King of Average missed out on this again, He didn't show the context of the use of it, which is baffling because it was RIGHT there

[@Don_Giovanni]

@@zenster1097 It's a roundabout way to say "I agree with you." 😂

[@zenster1097]

@@Don_Giovanni I suspected, but I wanted to be sure it was the statement video.

[@Darkjin7]

Dissecting things verbatim is a slippery slope. Example: Even yourself in the video starts to repeat what the mob has labeled "negative content" around the 6 and 1/2 min mark incorrectly if we are looking at things word by word. *Typing this up as simply a counter argument to some points to promote more thought and consideration. Not attacking you or anyone's beliefs (People can hate the guy all they want, just do it understanding what is true and not true/opinion versus fact).* Well, except at the end... I do attack the people yelling insults with false facts. If we look at what was written prior: "our experience as a group was quite frustrating overall. We struggle with the rules, finding cards throughout the decks, and tracking all the moving parts of ATO." Now with human psychology as you and many other higher level thinkers know we latch onto negatives more than positives (Along with the example of 1 negative video and 6 positive videos - but people will only fixate on the negative one). In that way we are also not giving any thought or credit to "At the same time, we desperately wanted to play through the campaign - it seems like an amazing experience". So we have both some critiques (which also has merit as actual fair and possibly constructive criticism for a board game developer - wouldn't you want to know if you need to spend more time on your rulebook, streamline mechanics, organize cards?) and some positive feelings when you read everything fairly. Then we apply what we know of the business proposition from before and of this 2nd email from him in question. His comment (which has previously connected context and explanatory conjunctions within the same email) then shows that the reasonable intent was not blackmail/extortion/whatever else people want to throw at him. Even the "negative content" thought is produced because of human tendencies and us having seen what he put out months later at the end. In reality at the time of the email and up to that email it was not the "negative content" that we mentally think of now. Big differences assuming and judging the whole picture versus following it along the sequence of events as they happened. Hindsight 20/20 but sometimes it perverts our views as well. And for clarification - I think there were lot of mistakes made by him, a ridiculously stupid video he put out (the real culprit in all this), and many things to do better with in the future. But what actually happened step by step versus the mob narrative is insane. And all the people screaming things that are factually untrue are just lemmings and sheep in the herd. They would jump off a cliff because everyone else did. Saw a good quote from someone else amongst all the sites about this situation: "A *person* is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." - Agent K, Men In Black Anyways, keep rocking and playing and having fun. To end things on a more positive board game note - just got in the Valor and Villainy games from their latest KS and it's a ton of fun. Whole family enjoys the gameplay and different game modes (1vMany and Co-Op). Worth checking out.

[@HarleyFirestorm]

I didn't get a lot from this video. The only thing I can say is when the facts are aired in public, it just doesn't look any different, if he had not have released that scathing attack video, then this would never have happened. Saying he is exploring his faith and is getting married soon, doesn't score any points with me. Saying that being Gen x I find it odd to consider using social media as a money making tool is something that feels odd to me. If I made review videos the last thing I would want is the publishers to pay me for it, how can you give an honest review if its being paid for?, learn to play videos yeah I can see that. The problem with these big box campaign games, is that they have so much content and intricacies that its hard for developers not to make mistakes, this is something that seemed to plague the video games industry for years, but unlike video games board games don't have downloadable patches. What I have noticed about a lot of rules books with big campaign games is they assume you already play board games and have for years, they need to write books in a style that assumes you have never played a board game in your life, I have been playing board games, TTR and RPGS most of my life, at the moment my friend I have have been playing ISS Vanguard since November 2022 and were still arguing over dice checks when we play.

[@ibeholder12]

My biggest question is, if you are trying to work with a company and hash out a deal, why would you go ahead and film hours and hours of content first? He'd have to know from previous experiences that the company would want to vet anything they'd eventually pay for, and they certainly wouldn't want videos of him struggling and complaining about the game. He'd know that either 1) He gets a deal and those videos are scrapped anyway, or 2) He can salvage some of it based on their approval, and he'd have to shoot new content for them anyway. It's like a guy cleaning your car windows without asking, and then demanding payment. I think a person that actually respects their audience would say, "Since you haven't gotten back to me in a while, I went ahead and filmed some content reviewing and playing through the game, and we had a lot of issues with it. I would love if we could have a call with your people to try and figure out if there were things we were missing/getting wrong, but as it stands now, I don't think moving forward with a collaboration on this game would be a good fit for my channel." Instead, he basically said, "I filmed some negative content while I was waiting for you to get back to me. If you pay me for the time I wasted I'll reshoot it all (and mislead my followers as to the difficulty of the game). Otherwise, I'm posting the negative stuff I already shot."

[@01hornsfan]

Thanks. I didn't want to wade through other social media sources to find out the resolution to this, so thanks for doing the research and providing the epilogue (which is about what I thought it would be). Nice, thorough production despite being on the road!

[@Polimathe]

Quackalope came out looking worse each step of the way on this one. In my personal opinion I think there was some miscommunication, but I also think he was trying to make money. Im all for a business trying to make its money but the specific content he put out was so polarizing accompanied with the the behind the scenes deal its hard to separate the bad review to being a coincidence, and it takes for ever for him in the apology to get to the point. Its like hes telling us how bad he feels that other people dont understand instead of just explaining clearly where he dropped the ball and what hes going to do to correct it. I went back to watch some of the gameplay videos, its also kinda crazy how 3 people couldnt figure out where to find some rules that were in the index they looked at 3 times and missed and then they blame it on the game. "OH man they should have made it more clear it would be in the index", It just felt really hyperbolic in that the review they said "No one should buy this game" while also asking for 7.5k to reshoot that video. I think he is gonna need a redemption arc but for now Im gonna have to stay away from his reviews even though I feel like I align with the types of games he enjoys.

[@kaijuh]

the types of games he enjoys? more like the types of games that he gets PAID to promote. Sarah Sha was right about him. She said the inside joke is that Jesse does not even like Boardgames lol

[@utahman06]

Yeah the fact that only one of three people actually read the rules and then all three of them made a video absolutely lambasting the game for having ambiguous rules is a massive blunder. And Quackalope has a knack for screwing up rules (like way more than the average channel)

[@coogs1567]

I don’t see what the big deal is, what’s the fuss all about. Afterall, content creators/influencers can’t just publish all the time, they need financial support. They are entertaining us and we should pay them for it in some way. As a viewer/consumer, I need to make a conscious effort to know what is real, what is of interest and what I don’t like, and everything else has nothing to do with me. Why does everyone have to get so involved... That's what I thought, UNTIL…someone in that thread posted, “This is the hobby trying to protect itself”, this was referring to how we are all reacting. At that moment I realized that the hobby represents something more than just a bunch of games, it’s an idea, an opportunity, it’s the possibility to escape, for one second away from here, from all the bs. Our types of games aren't just for fun (if they were, we’d all be playing monopoly). They send us to places as far as our imagination can take us, they challenge us and they guide us in some small way, but most importantly, they make us feel really good. I know why I started playing games, it was during the pandemic, and I needed to escape that. But now I understand why I continue to play games, board games in particular. It’s the community, the people behind the scenes, the content creators connecting with me, the publishers, heck, even the delivery person. I feel connected to all these things and it makes me feel like I am part of a community, like I belong somewhere. And the only thing this hobby and community ask of me in return, is to defend it, protect it from those that simply do not understand the joy it gives us. This includes perception, good faith, respect and passion. And I understand why others want to defend Jesse, like as people we don’t want to see anyone go through this and we never want any ill-will towards anyone. If there is one thing I’ve learned being part of this community is that most people/gamers are really good people. But at the same time, if we don’t hold our community members accountable, then this hobby will be minimized, lost, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I know it took me a LONG time to find this hobby and I don’t want to lose it. And what I mean by lost, I mean it will be marginalized, looked at as just a bunch of people with boards, playing in silos with no standards. And we will start losing members because of the drama that this situation has caused. So I want it to be more than just a hobby, I realize that now, I want it to be a community. And if anyone here doesn’t believe in any of what I’m writing, simply because you feel happy the way you play, then wow, let me tell you, there is so much more you are missing out. There is so much more we can get out of this hobby than just some board games. (This is the most corny thing I have ever written, be gentle 😬)

[@DanRoberts44]

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. 😎

[@dilatedbeholder3865]

Damn King, I had no idea you had so much responsibilities with your family. How on earth do you find the time to do all this stuff, as well as play games and painting? It's seriously impressive!

[@richie1771]

"I'm sorry IF in any way YOU.." This is called an "ifpology". It shifts blame away from the person apologising. It shows that really doesn't feel at fault and believes the fault lies in how the other person reacted. You would think someone would at least google how to pretend to give a sincere apology before making a statement like this. Just makes him come across more unlikeable...

[@RipVanWinkleXX]

Should of combined the review and unplayable video together. Its not a real review if they are not bring up why its unplayable. Instead they separate the negativity part so they can scrap it if they do get paid; and if they did get paid for that and never uploaded the unplayable video then the review was never truly a review in the first place. How could I trust them doing a honest review if they are willing to leave negativity out? I don't mind a sponsor video because I understand its a business. But don't make a review of a product you were sponsored for; you will be a bit bias in keeping it positive. Quackalope proves this because he was willing to have a review and leave out the negativity if they get sponsored. I don't believe he was malicious about it. But its a big lesson to learn to why everyone needs to be careful on sponsorships.

[@kbzombie84]

Yeah the late apology is what i noticed. I found myself skipping through looking for the actual apology.

[@karaso0]

While Jesse did apologize towards the end alot of 90% of the video felt more like "sorry you all took it the wrong way".

[@kbzombie84]

@@karaso0 I agree, hope this all just blows over soon, i would like to get back to the game discussions.

[@kaijuh]

The narcissist apology: "I apologize because you feel that way but I won't apologize for my actions"

[@smoothrivera1928]

I appreciate your thoroughness and clarity on this issue! You were honest yet respectful in both videos- that’s why we watch you, bro! Keep it real 🤘🏽

[@bamboozledgreatcrowd8982]

Never liked quackalope I always felt his poop don't stink was off putting. Doesn't surprise me this is happening to him.

[@Xaladen]

I'm sorry but my GoD do you nitpick on some things. You are not perfect and neither is he. You say you are speaking nothing but facts and then use terms like he was "alluding to". That's not a fact that's an opinion about what you think his intention with his words was. I really hope you don't turn into a drama channel. This is silly. I watch a bunch of board game channels to escape real world bullshit. Yes, I could have decided to not click on this video but as narcissistic as Jesse comes off you can often seem a bit holier than thou. Sorry for saying that but I just wish this whole social media thing of calling out everyone and almost celebrating the downfall ofpeople who make mistakes is sad.

[@TheKingofAverage]

Last video as I said. I covered the new things so epople could stay informed, with some commentary and context. Trust me, I'm ready to move on too. Excited for a normal news video!

[@FMD-FullMetalDragon]

I haven't been a subscriber of Quackhead for over two years and it's because he felt he needed to use clickbait to gain his audience, which was highly successful for him and says something about the kind of people that subscribed to him from that. I've always felt he was a sham and the timing of these videos dropping at the time of the KS implies that these videos were put out to sabotage the KS.

[@kaijuh]

him claiming it was pure coincidence when ITU has been promoting the launch date for months is just simply not credible if you have more than brain cells

[@TheTerrainWizard]

Agreed. The board game community is full of grifters.

[@alexpartenopei1021]

Eeek What niche drama! I love it 😊

[@Oaklestat]

Well said. Good video. Also you are correct his numbers really jumped when he blasted give aways.

[@USALibertarian]

It is obvious the industry standard is paying for positive reviews. Regardless if it is blackmail or bribery or whatever you want to call it.

[@user-bp1jn3xz9e]

Is that not called a commercial?

[@dominicmetzger3246]

That’s basically how advertising works. Long as it’s labeled as sponsored content, seems fine to me. Every advertisement is paying for “positive reviews” basically. Seems dumb to pay for non positive content 😂

[@ScytheNoire]

That's not true, and it's not blackmail or bribery. This isn't IGN or Gamespot. The credible reviewers don't take money for reviews, and many just don't review games they don't like.

[@CB-yh3db]

I have always thought of them as advertisements/commercials. But where some people have heartburn is the fact that they make some unbiased reviews about some games and then make bias/paid previews and sometimes the lines are blurred between the two for some people (not me though). I think people conflate a journalist and a KZbinr/content creator. Journalists are expected to be unbiased and objective, but even in the news industry you clearly see bias due to wanting access to power/access to influential people or for monetary gain. KZbinr/content creators are even less held to any type of ethical standard such as “Do no harm”. Most never took any classes on being a journalist, they just picked up a camera and started talking. Many content creators never worked in a corporate setting and don’t fully understand “conflicts of interest” or the fact you should avoid even the “appearance of impropriety”.

[@kaijuh]

I worked in marketing for 15 years and paying for positive content is standard in ANY industry. What's NOT standard is saying you will release inaccurate critical content if you don't pay for his services. Those type of "offers" generally go straight into your spam folder.

[@BobSmith-yk5xt]

I used to watch Quaks videos, I stopped because his videos always seemed like paid advertisments, which is fine if thats what your doing, and his videos were always of the highest quality. The problem is when your not up front about getting paid and your videos being a paid advertisement it starts to feel icky and it makes you look at other maybe minor character things in a different light. His antics start becoming annoying, his self promotion starts to feel gross, his click baity title exploytive. That said he isnt 100% wrong about Aeons Tresspass, I enjoy the game solo and as of now am backing the new game but I don't think I would ever play it with anyone else, unless they new the game very well already. Its a heavy, fiddlyish game.

[@TheTerrainWizard]

Not mentioning a review is paid for is an FTC violation. Even just getting free merchandise to review requires a mention on KZbin.

[@T_U3721]

That statement vid feels like yet another instance of everyday gaslighting.

[@oneANGRYelf]

Only goes to show you why one shouldn’t apologize. Doesn’t do any good either. Most people will complain when someone doesn’t apologize and then still complain when they don’t do it the way they think it should be done. So why even bother? Just let people cry and complain.

[@kaijuh]

"I'm sorry for getting caught bo because of what I did"

[@diszect7134]

@@oneANGRYelf plenty of people apologize without 25 minutes of emotional BS and it goes over just fine.

[@T_U3721]

The point is not with or without apologizing, but how and when. A sincere apology naturally comes first and not after 25 minutes of ramblings and subtly murking the facts.

[@Octavian2]

​@@oneANGRYelfHe apologized for the language barrier that caused confusion. What even is that? It's ridiculous.

[@halloweenlady4073]

I tried to watch it but it was too cringy.

[@RickshawMunky]

Sorry not sorry

[@simonb4689]

But he had his little hat on, there's no way he lied

[@smoker420la]

What did you think about him playing the RELIGIOUS CARD? INSANELY pathetic imho

[@iansutton7416]

I do hope Jesse offered you $7500 to shoot this clarification video 😉

[@jamesmurray2690]

Great video, which absolutely echoes my thoughts regarding the Statement video.

[@AnimeGamer0]

Considering how there has been a past controversy involving Quackalope which caused his guest hosts to back away from him, this sadly is not surprising. I used to watch Quckalope content in passing, as I never subbed to him. I’ll now just be actively not watching his content anymore.

[@MacenKrace5530]

This is why i love your videos, they are accurate and precise with your own personal style added in. I also saw his video and it felt really convoluted and 'corporate' without much essence.

[@harmarize]

HIs video potentially stopped me from backing it. I was planing on it, but it seems like 'Unplayable' is not correct, he did have some good points throughout the video. Looking into it more and doing more research (which hey I probably should have done anyways, but might not have). I deemed I dont think I have the time to invest in this and have the rules burden for solo. I have played oathsworn and KDM. Currently playing frosthaven 3 player solo which without the app would be too much. If I didnt play gloomhaven I think frosthaven would have been too much for me as well.

[@dankone1289]

I was able to figure out how to play it and it's the most complex game I've ever played. It's a massive amount of content and time. I honestly don't know how I'll play it all.

[@DumahAtreides]

I feel sorry for him and I hope he can pull through in time. Like you said, actions and showing change means more than an apology now.

[@isaacnoe4574]

A wise man once said, “ if you fall in a hole…stop digging” I do enjoy some of the content quakealope puts out and I’m still subscribed. However, he should have just let it blow over instead of blowing it up further. Hope they work it out and wish them the best. Good coverage KOA. Very calm, intelligent, and well rounded.

[@kumanight]

Let me know when you're in the Seattle area next time King! Vancouver is only a couple hours away, I can make the trip down for a game night 😉

[@aaronarnold6444]

To be clear at about 622 in your video, nowhere in that first response email from Jesse did he say he had negative videos he’d scrap. He mentioned scrapping the videos he made to make new ones. It isn’t until a future email that he actually breaks down at a high level the content of those video including an all negative video. This is a point that you and many other KZbinrs are getting wrong and spreading a false narrative. Honestly, other than clicks, you didn’t need to make this video. The documents are out there, the statements by both parties are out there, let people read them and make the call. Just for clarity: I am one of the thousand of subs he lost due to this mess. But it’s a little much to see so many KZbinrs mistake the facts that are right in front of you in emails. It’s sloppy and tends to imply a bias against Jesse. At least that’s how it comes off to me (look at all this negative intent we can imply by actions). Usually enjoy your coverage of things, but it’s time to move on and look at the bigger implications this event highlighted (which is more of why I unsubscribed then thinking Jesse was blackmailing anyone).

[@TheKingofAverage]

He stated that he recorded 8 videos and that they struggled with it but you are correct he didn't explicitly state they were bad. Of note I've always stated that I don't feel he was directly trying to manipulate or anything. I've never been on that bandwagon.

[@DanRoberts44]

He has lost approximately 4,700 subs currently, around 9.7%. I was one of them as well, and KOA, I can see how you want to stay middle of the road here, but he is a cancerous representation of content creators. Other people in this space deserve more attention, and I'm going to give it to them. I wish other people would too.

[@TheFleahost]

One ‘ah sheet!’ erases a hundred ‘atta boys.’ Apologies have to be up front, succinct, and with limited justification. A simple “my bad” would have been better. Fair or not, unfortunately once trust is broken it’s dang hard to earn it back.

[@JaredB001]

A couple of suggestions for content creators especially those getting started. 1. Write a well documented copy writing guidelines that encompasses every aspect of content that viewers are going to see. Will ensure that your tone and message is always consistent and clear. 2. Don’t write your business emails like that. A lot of the content is written in a marketing sales tone. This type of writing tends to not be clear. When writing a business email. The casual marketing tone is fine for introduction and general information. But when you are talking back and forth like this. Use bullet points and be specific. Always reiterate and reconfirm the points made from both parties in previous conversations. You’ll notice that there were assumptions in the emails on both sides that were left unattended. The biggest being, have we agreed to work with each other before any further actions will be taken. Dot points, with exact clear short sentence and list of actions that are constantly reiterated between both parties, is what you need over long verbose paragraphs.

[@marks6928]

Quackalope was totally trying to rewrite the narrative and gaslight. He’s lost what credibility he had. Anyone who supports him on Patreon, after this, is a fool. Give that money to charity or another creator instead.

[@joshhart379]

What a car crash. Thanks for keeping us posted

[@marcnno6323]

Damage control video. He does not apologise. Keeps content broadcast. Probably soon will move on to the business as usual. I hope creators will be less intimidated by this or else practice.

[@kylenstevens982]

West is the only reason I watch quack.

[@flipz101]

Great analysis vid! And glad you were thinking the same thing as many of us about that ‘statement video’ he put out. Will start calling you ‘The King of Forensic Data’!

[@andrewclifton185]

More drama then Netflix

[@bassmeo3937]

At least more entertaining than Netflix

[@BillySpenc]

not true! Netflix took away account sharing!

[@voldosmith]

Everything about that video looked fake… also, it looked like even this video was made trying to squeeze every second they could take from every viewer… lastly, funny how literally no one had anything good to say/defend about him…

[@Sean-or1bv]

Huge fan of boardgames and your content, but why is this such a big deal? Who cares? What is your expected outcome? Views? Bringing down Quackalope? I wish you would simply move on and stop posting videos reacting to other videos which are reacting to an incident only a handful of people are involved.

[@TheKingofAverage]

As noted in the title and the video, this is my last update. As for how big it is, even if perhaps not to you, it is to others. There is even Kotaku articles about it now. As someone who covers the industry, I covered this, but I was sure to do so with care. I'd cover if BCG, Dice Tower, One Stop, etc. had the issue as well. I just gave people information on what happened and many thanked me as they didn't want to delve into a lot and wanted things summarized. So with the video response I did the same as well since I didn't cover it last time as it hadn't been posted. I think many people watched lots of other videos, discussed, researched, etc. and so this feels like a lot, but it was only 2 videos to cover what happened so people who didn't do all of that are in the know and can go about their day :) But yes, very much looking forward to a normal news video!

[@thenewamericanunderground3149]

enjoy Seattle! great time of year to be there and plenty of fun game stores and spots to stay and play there - whether in the city, on the eastside, up north, etc.

[@realdealastrology9]

I would NEVER buy a game from that ATO publisher. They seriously tell people to only give positive reviews? Really???

[@TheKingofAverage]

No that's not correct. Jesse wanted them to sponsor a how to play video, playthrough, etc. Non opinion stuff and they said if they pay for anything it'd need to be positive content in response to him saying he had some playthrough stuff but it was a bit rough.

[@williammyles]

Thank you for your excellent debrief of this issue love your work 😊

[@benja6902]

Concerning the relaunch of Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood - can you explain why they do not have the $15 upgrade pack from 1st to 2nd edition available? That seems wrong.

[@benja6902]

@@keeop I'm not questioning the fact it's $15. The button to add it is greyed out and says it's unavailable. Almost all the other pledges' buttons are green and available to add.

[@HeeeeySteve]

Have west run the show for a while? Yuck. He seems like a nice guy but also seems kind of like a snake oil salesman to me. Not to mention a complete yes man. Shira needs to run that channel. She would be a great front person

[@Oaklestat]

We're just need to hope the people will stop watching his stuff, unsubscribe and not give him the attention that he is hoping to get out of this

[@zakkoehler6820]

That is my favorite INTOTHEAM shirt

[@TheKingofAverage]

It's really awesome! Got a new one though just yesterday that's on my list of top ones though www.intotheam.com/products/saturn-return-tee Sadly it sold out like, right after :(

[@slayking2378]

Lol I don’t know why he apologized or took the video down. Stand by your actions. But he is getting married so I’m not surprised he just caved to companies and herd mentality.

[@FrenchToastAndMeeples]

I did watch his video too and I just hated the way he introduced and concluded with religious personal matters, talking also about his wedding and stuff. 🤮🤮🤮

[@shawnhollon4073]

Microsoft Build is a good time. I love Seattle

[@TheKingofAverage]

I quite enjoyed it! :)

[@sonderby]

Since the video is about correcting others and being accurate there was something in your analysis that was not accurate yourself @The King of Average. At approx 6:12 you quote the letter which states how Jesse writes back to them and says "we would scrap the footage we have already recorded" - you then in your own words paraphrase this to "we have a negative video and we will scrap that" - purely on that statement you quote in the letter alone (and I am no expert in the case so it may still be true) it's not correct to paraphrase that statement in the letter in that way, as Jesse does not say that the video he is scrapping is 'negative' (perhaps it's implied but it was not clear) - those are your own words and hence not accurate reflection of the letter. You are hence putting your opinion onto that statement (which is to a negative effect) and then further emphasising that point in several follow up comment, throwing further fuel to the fire, without stating the ambiguity here. I am not defending what Jesse did (honestly there are bigger problems in the world so this is really a storm in a teacup) - but if you want to be accurate then you shouldn't have presented that quote from the letter in this way imho

[@TheKingofAverage]

This is a follow-up video to my already detailed breakdown which I mention and link to. It's not inaccurate (as he did go over his struggled with the game and then also later defines his negative video), but I didn't provide the evidence this time around to keep things brief but you are right, it hurts this video as a standalone thing. I'll take this into account moving forward for sure! I appreciate the push for clarity and better wording!

[@sonderby]

​@@TheKingofAverage totally fair and not saying the underlying truth is not the same. I only watched your video here as a standalone (without further context), and noted this point as a viewer. Was taking your excerpt from the letter as the 'evidence ' for the conclusion that followed. I have not been following the case that closely, ant this was the first I heard about what the emails between Jesse and Into the Unknown wrote to each other. so based on that alone what followed sounded a tad harsh. Thanks for the reply and pushing for clarity I think that's great. :) Good job on the channel as well!

[@ericcouch]

You a fellow software engineer?

[@TheKingofAverage]

Indeed!

[@smoker420la]

You're 👌

[@jamesdenson4730]

I'm not really a fan of Quackalope myself, but I have watched some of their videos. I see how things can easily go south in their methods of presentation. However, I also feel that they are not completely to blame for the current situation. I believe there is a great deal of misunderstanding about it. The channel, Discourse Minis does a great job (IMHO) of dissecting and presenting the facts which some folks might enjoy checking out. 🙂

[@adukovski]

The question also aries is, if he has questionable ethics, could he also have paid for "subscribers"?

[@ylein6508]

I have this exact question in my mind too, wondering why he still has so many subscribers especially after this non apologetic video came out.

[@Gtomer]

I'm not sure that sorry or apologize should have been the first thing. That was his first time telling his side of the story. He should first say what happened. You can't really judge what happened by hearing only one side. That being said, I don't think someone should say I am sorry before first telling their side of the story so everyone will know what's there to be sorry about since blackmail or extorsion is not what he is apologizing for since it wasn't the truth of things. The idea of scraping the footage came from him because of course if you they were going to shoot videos with the collab of the publisher than there is no more need of the old videos so they will get scrapped. It got nothing to do with the videos being negative or with the publisher asking for only positive videos.

[@kombainasable]

"positivity" culture enforced by paid channels, and BGG. it's not like negative or controversial videos do not get clicks. it's just a question who you work for. if you shill for publishers, you get money, everything appears positive, the "perfect" internet as facebook popularized. since customer is the goods they are selling, nobody cares if bad apples are ostracized. don't support such culture. see a thing worth critique? do it. a reviewer has to know rules spotless, should not allow themselves to cherrypick games and avoid bias, etc. ofc as humans, it's hard in current climate, but hey, demand has to be there and vocal. boardgames should be the product sold to us, not us as FOMO buyers sold to companies. the industry just wants to have disempowered buyers. heck, if you have harsh words for a product you bought, it's not a peer which will judge if your point has merit or not. it will be a mod with guidelines set by private owners. industry is just such atm. when backing I just try to see how a game dev plays the "game" and read between the lines if they care about customer and themselves, or are just all about business, like all your WoTCs, CMONs, etc. Boardgameco got hit by association but he split from quack a while ago. not fair, but justified. he has his transparent policies unlike quack and is alrite on those terms (but does have some shade from trading side of business). but as a buyer, anyone should really consider if a game, or publisher are choosing to buy YOU as a product and therefore associate with shill channels, how can you trust them to give you a good game? sometimes you can tell by who they hired, sometimes you cannot

[@steveliu99]

an update just on him, you sure are kind M.K. LOL.... no lost to me anyway if that channel exist or not. Well, no lost to them, with less one insignificant viewer like me.

[@neonhummingbird3906]

I think you underestimate Jesse's character. You are being way too generous. I've been doing some research on Jesse over the past couple of days. My research has revealed that this is not an isolated incident, and that this guy really is a character that lacks principles and good decency. There is plenty of evidence that he has used, abused and then ghosted many other content creators for his own benefit. This is just the stuff that is on record, who knows what else is going on!? I made a previous post about my conviction that he has demonstrated serious narcissistic tendencies. However, after doing some research, I actually think he has dark triad tendencies too. There is plenty of evidence that he has manipulated others for his own gain, at the expense of others. Many people have been burned by him and also jumped ship because of his unethical behaviour. Alex, Prof. Meg, Sarah Shah, etc. Don't take my word for it. Do your research. Jesse leaves a trail that stinks to high heavens! Boardgameco, Antlabgames, Bowers Game Corner, Board Games in a Minute (and the list goes on) have all commented (or suggested) on Jesse (Quackalopes) lack of ethics and character. This guy has built a very bad reputation among his colleagues, but yet still has people in his community holding a torch for him. Open your eyes people! Why am I taking the time to write this? Because I don't feel that Jesse deserves a platform and the support of board game publishers. He has consistently demonstrated poor ethics and character. There are way more deserving content creators.

[@Memmnarch1981]

good video quality from your phone there. Must be a newer one.

[@cjpny1455]

I miss you too bro! I don’t really know you but I miss you 😂

[@joevespaziani]

Sorry - I’ve got no way to get in touch with you (that I know of) thru KZbin- other than comments. I’m excited about the upcoming STALKER campaign coming to Gamefound…. Could you please cover this so I can feel like I’ve got an informed opinion… as I dump whatever $ they want , ) Thanks. Great content my friend.

[@TheKingofAverage]

You bet!

[@Original_Maverick]

I will say, with regards to giveaways for subs, it would make sense if the goal is to raise sub count to justify charging publishers more for paid content.. Perhaps I am wrong, but those are my 2 cents.

[@TheKingofAverage]

Very true. And happens often as many people don't realize that subs do not equal views.

[@kevinsmallwood8584]

Michael, being a software engineer is NOT a "normal" job. LOL By the way, come to the FOSS side of development! ;-) Also, I figured with your fairly successful fund raising, you would get to attend Gen Con this year. I was looking forward to meeting you in person. 😞

[@TheKingofAverage]

I revamped my filming/studio stuff instead, and got more games (about $600 this month alone >.

[@jamesmorgan1967]

Is it common for publishers to ask that paid reviews be only positive? I don't have a horse in this race, so am just asking because that struck me as a little odd.

[@vinnieyang5422]

Not sure about other publishers but in this case between Quackalope and Into the Unknown (ITU), ITU only asked that any video coverage (read: coverage, not review) be positive and without comparisons to competitor products, this is a reasonable request. If they have to pay for a video, it'd be a promotional video/commercial advertisement at that point and not a review. I know that if I had to pay for a video to help sell my product, I wouldn't pay for something that portrays a negative experience (as Jesse described of his experience in the emails), I'd much rather pay for a commercial to excite potential buyers.

[@JohnnyDustwalker]

I thought you focusing so much on "he got everything perfect except this one thing, take it as you will" was a bit much. You are generally good at presenting unbiased information, this seemed like fanning the flames.

[@tullnfloyd]

Awe man I was hoping you would be going to GenCon this year. It is going to be my first GenCon and thought I might see you there... Oh well maybe another one

[@TheKingofAverage]

Enjoy it, it's a blast! Will be going in the future for sure!

[@FurchtbaresGaming]

i just recognized that i always mistook you for him. I am sorry!

[@TheKingofAverage]

No worries 😁

[@williamfaughnan6298]

The most telling part of this saga is Isaac's short input on the matter, knowing that he has had some more direct insider interactions with them. That says a lot, in my opinion.

[@joachim4889]

Isaac is often on a short leash, but still that was pretty damning. I think the worst was actually Alex from boardgameco. Not for what he said, but for what he didn't say, they were friends and close partners a year or so ago. But he didn't defend him in the slightest. Think about it, if one if your friends does some crappy stuff, you usually would still defend or at least try to calm the other partie. Alex did nothing if that. He just explained his opinion on the paid content and that he no longer works with Jesse.

[@PRC533]

@@joachim4889 And there was plenty of room for a defense in this situation because I think it's pretty clear that there wasn't any malice involved, just regular incompetence. I agree that the thunderous silence from the community in his defense speaks louder than anything else.

[@steveowen7508]

Welcome to Seattle! Let me know the next time you're going to be in town, and I'll take you out to dinner.

[@TheKingofAverage]

Oh 100% will do!

[@jonsible]

Dude is in Israel prepping for his own wedding I can understand not wanting to write down dates. Apologies are hard. Man this community is starved for drama.

[@raist78231]

Ate you at ms build :). If so hope you enjoyed it

[@TheKingofAverage]

I am and thank you! It was my first Build actually and it was really useful! Lots of cool announcements this year.

[@nekochen]

ATO has already surpassed expectation on the launch day and Kickstarter normally slows down after the 2nd day anyways. Quackalope on the other hand hasn't lost that many subscriber either, because he isn't making much money from KZbin to begin with, he's surviving on the $7500 sponsorship from other companies and Patreon. Once this drama blows over, people will just carry on and pretend nothing ever happened, ITU will go on and make more great games and get millions of dollars, and Jesse will go on and continue working his way to 500k subscribers, a point where he can finally make some dough off KZbin ads. tl;dr - 2 weeks later, nothing happened, carry on.

[@LegoAssassin098]

I said it on the last video and i will here. Quackalope needed to word things better in their interaction. None of this would have happened if Jesse had been better at that and better at double-checking how his words coudl be taken. They also need to slow down, remember that they should want to provide accurate information to their audience. They also need to go back to basics. Get in touch with why they started this channel in the first place. They need to rethink their whole business strategy because it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Their clickbait bias videos really hurt their credibility. Into the Unknown games needs to communicate better. They should have communicated faster, and they should have asked questions to clear up any potential misunderstandings. It never hurts to ask "hey are you saying that we can pay you to scrap negative content on our game? That seems odd to us" or "hey can we set up a zoom call? I dont think we're on the same page" and then the conversation could go into clearing up misunderstandings especially given the language barrier. Only then if Quackalope double downed on the presumed intent should they have put Quackalope on blast. Their passive aggression was unnecessary given that i really dont think there was malintent here. Always presume ignorance before malice. And Isaac Childres shouldnt have commented and thrown fuel on the fire. Not his circus, not his monkeys. Dont feed into drama that isnt yours. All three parties seem to have forgotten one of the most important rules of the internet. Your words matter. Think before you hit that send button. "Will my words be taken the way i want them to be taken?" "Is there any wording that could be taken the wrong way?" "How will this benefit the conversation?" "If my words are taken out of context, how will that look?" "Is it really necessary to say this?"

[@pm71241]

Hmm... I have a feeling this analysis doesn't respect the intellect of it's audience. ... A lot of appeal to emotions.

[@seansmith2650]

Board game industry is shady af

[@JacobPorterLadder]

All industries are*

[@tbonestillz]

It’s a business designed to sell you things (games). Video reviews are designed to sell you games.

[@MrBlef666]

4 kids! kudos mate

[@TheKingofAverage]

haha thanks! (help me!) :P

[@jankenmaster2508]

Dear Michael, I really liked your last video about this issue because it gave it a lot of transparency but what you say here is inappropriate in a lot of ways. I don't think you should judge at which point in the video Jesse is apologizing. Why do you have to correct Jesse (that felt really petty-minded if I use this word correctly) or judge in which part he should be accurate or not. It feels like you are protecting ITU here. You should not do that. After their email exchange they literally backstabbed Jesse in their campaing's comment section like the only reason a big youtube channel could talk negative about their game would be out of revenge. That is burning bridges. Didn't you talk exactly about that a couple of days ago? You made the same points as Jesse in your review video but you hid that so much at the three minute mark. If the game is too big for you, you should not play it. If you are not willing to invest into it or have the table space, it is literally unplayable (for you!). I don't know, I am sorry but I can't help it. This video feels cheap. I wonder why you did that. Still riding the drama wave doesn't suit you. Besides that, I still can't understand why you are hyping the campaign so much. Didn't you told us just a couple of days ago the reason we are ruining the industry is because we incentivise publishers to make bigger and bigger games and campaigns that are not profitable and more risky? Isn't that exactly what ITU is doing since the ATO campaign? I am not sure how profitable they are. Are they already spinning plates? With ATO Wave 2, KF Wave 1 and 2 and now four boxes of AT:TSOH? March 2025? I wonder how many campaigns they'll launch until than. Probably another reprint/expansion for Kingdoms Forlorn in which they'll sell us the mighty five headed swan dragon they didn't gave us in the first campaign. Estimated shipping 2026. I wish you would talk about this topics not only in dedicated videos but mention this in your news videos as well as when you talk about a specific game/campaign to raise the awareness for it. I am sorry, but this seems a bit off to me. Sincerly Yours jankenmaster

[@zovni]

I like that quackalope is being nailed to the wall. But these "citizen's arrest" type videos where other hacks in the hobby space take it upon themselves to dissect every video and fact out there are absolutely disgraceful.

[@joseseptien]

Yes he was threatening ATO saying to them about the negative content they were going to release, knowing ATO were going to have a new campaign. Sad that a person with power have comments/ videos that will affect a company. And you Mr. KOA find out about your power and since then aleays been clear about your reviews and content. "With great power comes great responsibility"👍

[@gaelrebmann9629]

Even that point about the timeline (Jesse saying he would scrap his previously made content before ITU required sponsored videos to be "strictly positive") leaves room for interpretation. ITU mentioned that there would be "guidelines" before Jesse offered to scrap the content (that's actually in ITU's first response to Jesse's offer in their question #4). It is true that there were no specifics about the said guidelines. But, isn't it a common practice from the publishers in the industry to ask that paid content is positive? I honestly don't have the answer to that question, I don't do content creation myself. But if that's actually a common practice, I can understand why Jesse would be convinced that they asked for the negative content to be removed first, since he would have assumed that it is what they meant by simply mentioning the guidelines. I don't judge anything here. I am not qualified for that honestly. What I am offering in that comment is more subjective that the simple fact that Jesse got the sequence wrong anyways

[@TheKingofAverage]

As I said in my last video, I don't think it was meant bad at all from Jesse. It implies being willing to release inaccurate videos, but nothing like trying to use that to land a business deal. I can see how it could be read that way however.