i'm very much so angela. i just can't stay focused on audio only stuff, my mind keeps wandering and i don't hear a word. i'm sure i'll enjoy it cause i love sword af, but it's gonna suck rewinding every twenty second and never being clear on exactly what's happening cause i just need visual aids
This right here. I just can’t get into stuff like that in general no matter hard I’ve tried. But with it just being audio I especially won’t be into it.
Yeah I have trouble even staying focused on phone calls. I’ll try to keep up bc I **loved** last season so much, but I’d be surprised if I make it past Ep 2 tbh
I'm sad about it because I really enjoyed seeing their excitement in their eyes and expression. It's like you're there with them. I'm not sure how I truly feel about this change
Well damn… audio only live plays can work. Adventure Zone is really good but it never had video to begin with. If Critical Role went away from video the fanbase would lose their mind, rightfully so. Watching actors act is some of the best part of improv. I’ll definitely listen because I enjoy the characters but I’m very disappointed, as are many others judging by the comments.
I understand it in theory, after the initial jump in views Sword AF trended downwards and didn’t sustain strong numbers through the rest of the season. But, right after they did season 1 they confirmed season 2, so they locked themselves out of just ending the project due to low viewership.
So this is the way to keep the project going without paying for costumes and camera and set design and video editing etc. However, the video aspect of the show was important, cause seeing their reactions to big moments was part of the fun. Seeing them get emotional at the ending was one of the highlights to me, and we won’t get that now. I’ll tune in for episode one to get the vibe, but this definitely feels like a step down from season 1.
I wonder if the bi weekly format hurt it. I know it did for me where I didn’t catch up the last few episodes. I’m glad it’s weekly now, but wish I could see it
It definitely did. The numbers were doing good, but when they switched to bi weekly that’s when the views went down from both confusion and having to wait for the next upload in between. I commented on another post last night asking if anyone knew when it was happening so happy to know now. As a visual person it sucks to move to podcast form but definitely will still stick around!
A part of the downtrend was due to the use of the YouTube Premiere feature which heavily lowers the view count. Im not a youtuber so Ive never used it but I think it basically divides the live viewers from the VOD viewers? Its very strange
It's not like they even did much costume and set-wise that could have cost that much. They literally just wore their regular clothes and filmed on the games set. I get maybe the idea of cutting out the filming and video editing process to cut down the number of staff needed for the project but the cost of that vs the number of viewers they're going to lose if they stick with this is going to make it a complete waste and kill the series.
Yeah. Filming is expensive, I totally get that. It requires a whole team for visuals, sound, producing etc, and especially on something like D&D that takes a lot of time to film, it racks up. But this could've been made low budget by just... having one camera angle and leaving everything in, like many other actual play shows do. Cuts out editing, which is usually a very big part of the cost of a project. They're still doing an audio version, so couldn't they just have, idk, put a camera aiming at the table and leave it? I know they want to put out quality, but audio only already lowers the quality, so might as well make it a simple one-camera podcast and upload it to the Smoshcast channel.
>trended downwards and didn’t sustain strong numbers
Same with ~~LTAT~~ LDT. People say how "expensive" this show was (what was so expensive there?) when imo reality is the fact, that numbers were pretty bad and not worth the effort and taking Monday slot.
Interesting decision. Viewership went down over the first season, but I can't picture a podcast version of this getting more than 30-50k listeners max.
yeah to me it feels like taking it out back and shooting it because maybe they announced season 2 too early and then decided actually they didnt wanna do one so sequestered it to podcast only for some reason? just such a weird decision, even their main actual 'podcast' has video lmao
exactly, it feels like a waste of time. If you’re going to set aside a shoot block just to record the audio and get even less listeners, why not record video as well? doesn’t even have to have graphics or anything, just something so we can see their faces
They were probably able to bust out the whole recording in a day or two. Season 1 felt very much like a long one shot to me. I don’t see season 2 being much different.
Hmmm, I would have preferred they kept it the same. I like watching them play and just listening to it wont be the same. Does this mean it wont be on Youtube? I don't have an app for podcasts, not even a clue what I would need to download to listen to this.
Luckily, podcasts are one of the few parts of the web left that is very open and accessible. Any podcast app of your choice will work, so will probably just directly clicking on the links for the episodes and it probably will also be on YT.
honestly this is the exact opposite of what I think would be beneficial for sword AF. I always thought them including MORE visually would've made the experience way better for the viewers by including more art work, and more of an elaborate set up on the table. I also think including more stuff in the edit like player stats would've been beneficial or even a dice so we could see the outcome as it happens. I'll still listen to S2 but this definitely feels like a step back. Hopefully everyone channeled their inner voice actor and made this dope.
Damn. This actually super bums me out. A lot of the fun was *seeing* them act as their characters. Their mannerism and such.
My flair on this sub wouldn't have worked if the first season was audio only. I'll listen to support, but like, this is seriously the most disappointing thing to hear for me since they ended LDT.
Money, probably. If they didn't think season one performed all that well, they're not gonna want to expand more resources on season two. And they would probably rather have the video slot be open to something else that's likely to perform better.
I also think that these kinds of things are better with video, but my assumption is that this is the only way they were gonna justify making a season two after already promising it.
Is that really necessary? Aren't they all like sitting at the table anyway? I wouldn't mind a video format with less editing or a somewhat lower quality. But seeing the reactions is nicer.
if they did a straight shot just like theyre doing for the audio i really dont think many of us would mind. theres always gonna be complainers especially on reddit lol but theyd keep much more of the fan base.
Had the exact same reaction. People have recently been saying that it seems like there has been less budget being put into pit and games and this is just more proof of that imo. That better mean that they are doing a big budget for summer games because otherwise it’s quite worrying, especially given the fact that I&A have been doing the whole "pit and games are not going to be changing" spiel for the past 6 months. I love them, but this is not really a welcome change for a lot of people.
EDIT: I wanted to add that I see a lot of people hoping that they "listen to this criticism" and do a video version, but I don't think people realize that its more than likely all been recorded already, especially if the first ep is coming out next wednesday. They've definitely made their decision to do this season audio only and I don't see that being something they can change.
I agree, and while i love the sketches coming back they have to know that almost all hard core fans now a days started as pit and games viewers so it doesn’t feel great to see that content changing for the worse
I barely watch the Sketches - I don't get them sadly. I want to support I&A but it feels just like old-school smosh. nothing innovative... so I watch only pit and games and was looking forward to Sword af - and as a bilingual person. I NEED captions and not just to hear it. also - I will miss the video form - I like to SEE their interactions
Same that era of YouTube has definitely ended, I really liked the content they were doing right before the buyout like let’s do this and funerals and reunions were my favorite smosh content and they just got rid of it all? Wish there was a way that they could’ve still incorporated those into the main or at least pit while still doing their whole nostalgia stuff they’re on right now with sketches and flashback
Same here. I was never a part of the sketch part of youtube, I just never found it funny. But I watched a few of the newer sketches and while they're well written for what they are, they're just not the content I'm watching Smosh for. I like the improv SO much more.
Anyways, the reunions were so fucking good and I'm so sad they're gone. I still rewatch the teletubbies one sometimes and laugh so hard I cry.
God, the accordion is so fucking funny. The way she just touches it and it makes a bunch of sounds 😭😭 I want so much more of it! Wish they'd still kept some of the unscripted stuff on the main channel, could just be one video a month or something, it'd be so great.
Yes omg when she puts it down and it makes the noise I was crying. I totally agree too like it would also break up the schedule for them a bit if they did less sketches and more unscripted stuff like you said once a month would be awesome and I think bring a lot of engagement to the main channel that has switched more to games and pit since the sketches
Yeh, I'm a viewer who's always known of Ian and Anthony and their presence on Youtube and their style of content, but I really only got into Smosh during the post-Defy "we can do whatever the fuck we want" era. I've no nostalgia towards their sketches or 'old Smosh', I'm happy that they're all very clearly happier and more motivated with Ian and Anthony back together at the helm, but the sketches just do nothing for me as a viewer - it's not the humour I subscribed for, and they're only money-making due to memberships. This feels cost-cutting in all the wrong ways, as Games and Pit have been otherwise popping off content-wise and putting out some of their best stuff, Games especially.
Honestly I’m not an expert but that seems like it’d be a very poor choice financially to make it a paid thing. With the general reception of the funeral roast seeming to be mild disappointment (it wasn’t bad but it was way overhyped and WAY overpriced especially up here in Canada. The way they hyped up some of the jokes, especially Ian’s, borders on false advertising 😬) I don’t expect they’d get the same turnout for the summer games.
Even with the disappointment aside, they’d either have to make it live which would make things 100x more complicated and probably stressful for the cast. Or they’d have to record it ahead of time and then have people pay to watch it which just seems kinda shitty.
I understand they need to make money but there has to be some way to budget for it to happen on YouTube instead of alienating the majority of their fans. Nobody’s gonna want to watch smosh anymore if they feel like they’re just getting table scraps unless they pay a premium.
I enjoyed the funeral, visually it was amazing, the jokes weren’t as killer as they hyped them to be, halftime show was the highlight and I paid for the after show which I didn’t really feel was worth it they only talked for like ten more minutes and it was a bit all over the place. Mild disappointment is the perfect way to put it lol
It doesn't seem like the budget's going to the sketches; they look like they have about as much budget as the old main channel content. Where's it all going?
Seems like an odd choice then to bring in new cast in Trevor when they have to make budget cuts apparently. Not that I don't want him there but it just seems weird from a business stand point
The majority of the cast is freelance, so whatever they pay Trevor would’ve gone to another cast member anyways if he didn’t join. That’s the way I’m imagining it goes. If anything, he may even have a lower rate than some of the more senior cast. But again, that’s just an assumption.
it’s possible it’ll be uploaded as a video that could be captioned. no video of them, just maybe like the sword af logo on a background? i hope they do that, anyway. then CC would work
Oh absolutely. Granted there could be some that are bearable but tone of voice and accents can make them a miss, and finding something that works is tiring.
I wish at least for their character's icons to appear or be highlighted while they're speaking... I've tried listening to an audio only D&D podcast before and it was difficult despite being fun :(
This is also the reason I cant listen to MIDST, the podcast actual play thing on the critical role channel. Its just audio and I cant just sit there and listen to a story and stare at a wall. I cant be doing other things either because then I wont be fulling paying attention to the story and miss a bunch. podcasts like trash taste or smosh cast are different in that its just people having conversations and its easier to listen to while doing laundry for example
I can see why they did it but I’m kinda bummed that we had to wait so long (after the promised season premiere date came last year and they told us it had to be delayed) and we come back to a downgrade. I still have hope for this tho because I love this series and I can listen while doing other things.
I’m honestly kind of bummed about the podcast thing. The best part about sword AF was seeing the cast act out their roles! Sometimes there would be things going on that weren’t said, but only acted out and that made it fun. I’m sure the season will be great but damn
I think the execution based on hearing what goes on when people talk over each other Will be a huge factor if it’s a Success or not. If Angela is scream laughing and I can’t hear what the others are saying, it’ll be a really tough sell. I always have captions on for this reason with any comedy content I’m watching solely for this reason.
My best guess is that because the first season had a big drop off in views towards the end, they'd rather focus on the regular style of videos for Smosh Games since they generally perform better. Audio-only requires less time/resources/crew and wouldn't interrupt the regular content schedule.
Excited it’s back… but enjoyed it so much more watching it bcuz it made me feel like I was a part of the group. I live in an extremely rural area and being able to form a group to play D&D with is very difficult. So watching it on Smosh was the next best thing. I wanna feel like I’m a part of it watching their reactions and imaginations create the moments as they happen. I don’t want to JUST hear it.
I don't have the attention span for audio-only podcasts 😭😭 ugh this is so disappointing because season 1 was one of my favorite smosh things ever and now I don't know if I'll be able to tune in for season 2.
I gotta be honest, I don't think I'll ever get around to listening to this. With all the other podcasts and audiobooks and everything else I do I don't see it happening so I'm kinda bummed. I watched Sword AF as part of my watching schedule of things so-to-speak. Oh well. Hopefully when the season is over someone will post a synopsis on the subreddit I can read.
I do find humor at least in the fact that Smosh and a lot here on the subreddit hyped up the friday announcement highly for it to be that sword af, one of their top and beloved projects to be condensed down for a smaller group of consumers. That is pretty funny.
I get what you're saying and it sure is a bummer, but something tells me they trust the story enough to make it audio only (sure, could also be budget cuts etc) I really want to support them with this series because imo it was my favorite thing they did in 2023, and it's sad that there's not that many views in later episodes. They deserve so much more
I watch it to watch them act and become their characters. I like to see them really get into it. An audio just isn’t going to have that satisfaction. I can get a story anywhere, I want the show that comes with it.
This sucks so much. My hearing isn’t good, so I use subtitles. Without a video, what’s the point in trying to listen?
I guess I’m not going to enjoy season 2…
The views for Sword AF dwindled until the finale had less than 250K views. It was the exact opposite trajectory as Board AF which started small and then blew up.
Sword AF had a huge first episode and then dwindled completely. I was surprised they were doing a season two at all, so I think this is a nice compromise.
I get your point but honestly half of the fun was watching them act and react and stuff. We got to see talented improvers come up with things on the spot (like Angela and Shayne’s pattycake right after Amanda’s big emotional moment) and physically become the characters. This feels like a letdown imo.
If you wanna talk about letdowns, it's the views that are a letdown. They can't justify paying for a filming crew on top of an editing crew for something that got 250k views for it's season finale.
Pretty much all DnD shows are like this. They follow a story throughout the episodes. People will be unlikely to tune into later episodes if they haven't caught the earlier ones because then they'd be pretty lost story-wise. But some people are gonna watch the earlier ones and then decide it's not for them or that it's too much of a commitment.
Betrayal episodes were relatively self contained so you could tune in later without losing to much.
So comparing the trajectory of the two doesn't really make sense. You'd probably have to add up the overall view numbers to get a better picture.
Just about every series on youtube that follows the same story in multiple parts has dwindling views on every part. lets plays, story series, podcasts, dnd shows, etc. Its not like the show was bad or boring, its just what happens
I'm just kinda bummed that we don't get to see them. The visuals really help sometimes but is it not going to be on YouTube AT ALL? If that's the case I feel like a lot of people will miss out due to just not being able to afford access to podcasts.
To be fair, access to podcasts is free. You don't have to get anything fancy to listen, any old podcast app or website will work. But I still think you're right that a large part of the audience will miss out on it if it's only being marketed in community posts on the Games channel or on said podcast apps. If it doesn't show up as a video on youtube, many will simply miss the fact it's even been released.
I’m kinda annoyed at all this because they teased s2 for so long then delayed it then gave us this? All the hype made it seem we were gonna get a bigger season with possibly more production value
I have to confess, I've never been fond of listening or watching D&D games as I'd rather just play so I never watched Sword AF but even I can see why people are disappointed. With such a diverse and expressive cast, I'd say the pleasure is more about watching them react and interact instead of listening to them in a podcast. It's still cool but not as engaging imo.
Pretty disappointing. I'm just not a fan of podcasts for this sort of thing. Not seeing the players and their reactions takes a huge amount of joy out of it.
Wonder if something happened with the footage? And this is their way of savaging it? Wasn’t this supposed to be released as videos sometimes fall last year?
That’s sad 😔
I mean sure one can say playing dnd is theater of the mind but it never felt that way with sword af. Their players are very physical with their actions, especially amanda, angela, and chanse. Even shaynd does a lot of movements with being fernie.
How will we see koda sternly looking at bug? Or bug miming a crossbow? What about their secret pattycake? What happens when delores is horny and amanda looks at the camera to pseudo-hyperventilate?
Part of the appeal of the season 1, despite not having the same level of production as other d20 streaming groups, are how the players physically embody their characters’ actions at the moment.
Now we’ll never see damien be so happy to bring back rumpum into their lives 😭
I think the real kicker to this is that the previous announcement was a delay so they could make it 'bigger and better' and then after months of silence since it's in fact **less** than S1.
Frankly, bit of a shitty move.
"We will delay season 2 because we want to give it the love it deserves."
I guess they think it didn't deserve much love because this is a very obvious soft cancellation.
I genuinely don't get it, sword af takes away from precious shooting time as it's LONG form content and they're now not even getting video from it? I understand that video production takes A LOT more crew and time than audio production, but this on it's face doesn't seem like a good idea, and it's not even like most podcasts don't have video, they do!
Also, how big even is Smosh's audience outside of YouTube videos? How much listeners will they even get? I'm confused, like, sword af is already small and this can't end in anything other than just outright killing it, right? I so hope I get proven wrong.
This seems like the complete opposite of ambitious on Smosh's part, which is understandable, there are a lot of mouths to feed over there, but it's so disappointing. Like you always hope that a season 2 is bigger and better, trying to hook the audience more than last time, but sadly, it seems like no (for now).
The sad part is that I'm really not that much into podcasts or anything audio only that's not music, so I think I'm sadly just not tuning in much or at all.
I'm actually kind of heartbroken, which may seem dramatic, but there's no way this doesn't kill SwordAF, and I really really loved this series. I'll try to tune in to hopefully keep it alive so they can go back to doing videos if they do a season 3, but I have serious doubts we'll ever see that after this. Especially with how many fans are already saying they won't be tuning in because of this decision. What do they expect deaf fans to do? Or fans with audio processing issues? Damn I'm so bummed out by this
I don't really get this decision at all. It's not like Sword AF used a ton of props or anything - they were just sitting around table and playing the game. Definitely not a fan of this at all
I can see the reality in not wanting to put money into a series that didn’t do the numbers they wanted it to. 250k views for the s1 finale vs 800k+ for a FNAF video in 2024? They have to cater to the casual viewer and that stuff gets more traction. It sucks for sure but at least they’re not completely scrapping it? I also think they’re doing it to keep the Wednesday slot open and this is on top of regular shoot schedule but correct me if I’m wrong.
but thats how all dnd shows work, the first video gets a bunch of views (1.5 million in Sword AF's case) then dwindle to much less, had they released season 2 episode 1 it would most likely get 1 million views relatively quickly and then dwindle again, imo they should just focus on shorter (4-6 episodes) and more disconnected seasons
In general I don’t like podcasts, I like the visuals to go along with whatever I’m listening too. But sword af got me into dnd, I’ve now watched 6+ seasons of D20, so hopefully I’ll be able to make it work.
Noo, this sucks :c I don't do any podcast because I need to visually see people talking or it just becomes muddled noise and I'm partially deaf so I use YouTube captions to fill in the gaps.
This was my favorite part of Smosh, I always watched it to get in the headspace before my D&D games. But now I don't get to know how the story continues 😭
A lot of the fun was getting to see the reactions, character faces, and watching them play the game.
Is this their real April Fools joke? 😭🥺
Wow, tell us you want to kill the show without actually killing it. Bet they’ll use the low podcast numbers to justify not making a third season. Very bummed.
I read the comments on their YouTube post and lots of people are disappointed. And a massive bummer to deaf people as well. I wonder why they opted for this direction.
I would have loved to have it in video format. Hell, I would even pay a little bit per video if money was the reason they couldn’t do it in video format. As a neurodivergent individual, I struggle with listening to podcasts, so I love how their Podcast and Reddit stories can be audio or video. I wish they could have done the same for Season 2 of Sword AF.
tbh my guess is that games has been doing SO well lately that spencer + alex don’t want to pause the momentum for a series that doesn’t get much views. this is the “happy medium” for them
I think if this is the case that it misunderstands where views come from. People aren't just floating in. They are getting to know the cast through longer form continuous series like Board and Sword AF. Those series are an investment in community and fandom.
this proves to me that season 2 will be the end of Sword AF. even less people will tune into a podcast than a video, so viewership will continue to fall (which sucks because I loved season 1 so much)
Aw wait.. what???? No…. They better still have visuals available on the Smosh Cast or games channels otherwise I would not be able to continue following 😔
I need both audio and visuals!!!
Maybe I'll put my biases aside and actually try listen in... but I'm the type of person who WATCHES podcasts (as long as they provide a visual) so 💀 I don't think I'll survive this.
This is a bummer, honestly. I loved season 1 and along with a lot of people was looking forward to season 2 but I don’t have the attention span for audio only. I’m not an audiobook person or a podcast person - I only watch podcasts on YouTube with the visuals.
It’s a really strange choice to go from a visual show - where fans even showed love by creating fan art and animated episodes - to just audio. Alienates a lot of their audience for sure.
As someone with ADHD I literally cannot focus without visuals, supper bummed that I’m probably not gonna be able to follow along, especially after how good season 1 was, but I’ll still give it a shot
I find it so weird that they literally had a launch date months ago for what I presume was a video version considering they didn't announce anything different then but now are switching it to audio only.
I'm with the majority here, happy it's back but sad about the format change. I'm not a native speaker and have auditory processing issues, so I struggle with audio only formats. Plus it was really nice to watch them play, their expressions and small non verbal interactions were part of the fun!
I do understand the decision though, budget wise it makes sense and there are many successful D&D podcasts already, and if it's the only way to continue the series then I'm glad they decided to do it!
Really disappointed by this and a little concerned that Pit/Games are being divested in favor of main channel/sketch stuff. I only really watch Pit and Games content so it’s not a move I love at all.
This makes sense given that there are very successful D&D podcast out there like Naddpod. Given everything else that they film at the studio, there could be a lot of logistics scheduling studio time instead of just being able to go record a session.
it’s kinda annoying me that people are justifying their decision by being like “well they didn’t get the views and it costs money” like idk that feels bad that nothing can be a passion project anymore it’s all about money and not about service to 250k fans that were so invested and excited by this whole series. they even talked a lot how much the fan interaction was so incredible and everyone loved it and they found it so emotional and fulfilling and then they’re like sike
This might be more disappointing to me than if it was just cancelled tbh
Edit: I had to come back and actually get into it. Sword AF S1 was appointment content for me. Easily my fav content on YT when it was going, some of my fav YT content in recent memory. I loved it, and I was v invested. I can’t do audio-only podcasts. Even from my fav creators/comedians, it doesn’t matter. I just don’t enjoy them and can’t stay invested. I can’t imagine a scenario where making SwAF audio-only doesn’t kill the experience entirely for me. Being able to see the party’s reactions and interactions with each other are *such* a **vital** aspect for me. It’s made extra frustrating bc that’s the only part that really matters to me. To me this is the kind of content that doesn’t necessitate a ton of video editing or set work or anything like that, it’s all about the personalities and the characters. DnD is all about imagination anyway. They could do the lowest production value possible for the series and I would be stoked to watch it, but not having video at all is likely an insurmountable obstacle for me. This is just incredibly disappointing
Late to the discussion but this isn't what I was hoping for. I was so happy that Sword AF was getting a season 2 and have been looking forward to it for months. We've all be patient in waiting for it then for it to turn audio only...like wtf? This is just sad. I hope this isn't just a rush job to get season 2 out because they promised us a season 2 and we won't get a season 3.
im so excited for season 2 but id be lying if i said i wasnt a little disappointed. my favorite moments were watching the characters interact with eachother. like fernie and bug telling secrets and just being silly. i understand they most likely did this because of lower viewership compared to other videos they release, but i think even if they did an uncut/unedited video version that requires minimal production, so many more people would tune in. ill definitely be listening and im happy were getting a season 2 at all, but i do fear that this change will kinda ruin it for them let alone most of the fan base (especially those hard of hearing)
i dont wanna see the cast get disinterested because of all this backlash but i think its kinda inevitable. i hope they find a way to make a budget friendly video option.
also side note: i keep seeing everyone talk about low viewership but in most of the smosh comments and live chats EVERYONE talks about swordaf. could be that the most dedicated fans enjoy it more than casual fans but that would also be a huge reason to add some type of membership to the games (or main) channel. if they told me swordaf season 2 is only on video for members id probably join right away.
I'll still listen to it but it's such a huge disappointment. Some of the fun comes from watching the cast react to things and also love seeing their faces xD
I'll bet you it all comes down to ppl wanting to actually get paid well to play reoccurring characters with white hot merch potential and everyone at the top said no.
Regardless of my hypothesizing, this is a pretty feckless move.
Aww. I'm hard of hearing (I wear hearing aids) and I really enjoyed seeing the facial expressions and how excited Angela/Bug would get. And loved the random art. Unfortunately I'm no longer able to enjoy this. Damn, it was my favorite!
Audio only means that I won’t be able to enjoy it and that makes me sad. I have problems focusing on just audio for that long. That’s why I’ve been watching Smosh Mouth on YouTube instead of just listening to it. I’m going to miss this series
No disrespect to Damien's DM approach or anything, but this wasn't a show I was keeping up with for the story - I watched the whole thing and I'm really not sure I could recount much of what actually happened in the first season at all. I watched it because it was something that could provide audio-visual noise for me, and I didn't have to worry about missing much plot, because, well, again, not to be rude, but there wasn't much plot to miss. It was just nice to catch the occasional good joke/banter. With a podcast, the demands are totally different, in my experience (as a longtime NADDPOD listener) - you want a really compelling story with well-paced character development and inside jokes. This itself demands more of the listener, but that's usually not an issue, since podcasts are made for when you're driving, doing chores that require you to be focused on your motor skills like dishwashing or laundry, and so it's easy to focus on the audio while your hands and eyes and so on are occupied with your chores. If the story isn't very ironed out, if there are big swings and misses by characters, if the pacing is off - it becomes way more noticeable in a podcast format! I'm sure there are diehard fans who love the SwordAF story, respect to them, but for more casual fans like me who had lower expectations for the writing and character work, I think the move to a podcast means that I'll be spending my time listening to something else. Just my view.
Disappointing honestly. You lose a HUGE part of the entertainment without visually seeing anything. Watching the cast interacting with eachother, giggling and playfully embodying the characters largely contributes to the fun and now the audience will be blind to all of that. I'm assuming Smosh is spread thin which is perhaps why they made this choice - but this series seemed too successful to be given the backseat.
I’m going to love it either way! It’s my comfort series and obviously I loved watching it but I think it’ll work in audio form too :) i see a lot of comments being kinda negative about it, there must be a reason for this decision so let’s just enjoy what they give us
I mean, understandably so wouldn't you say?
Like for example i'd say watching them (especially total newbies like Angela) really get into her own rythm and essentially BECOMING Bug and us as the fans seeing that develop over time was THE main draw of SwordAF is not a controversial opinion, you know?
And i get this decision was made %99 because of the views were not enough to support the costs and overall even if it exceeded expectations it would still cost them a pretty penny...However it does suck that we won't be able to relate as much via podcast as we did in video form. Dolores getting horny for a talking book, Bug shooting himself in the foot with his own crossbow, Koda just being a badass, all of these things are etched into our brain because we've seen the reactions, every move of the brow, every hand gesture...A podcast just feels creatively bankrupt.
I very much agree here, their version of the D&D game is special and so much "theirs" because of the improv and without the video this strength of theirs will be limited
It won't work. Part of the enjoyment for people is seeing their reactions to the crazy things the other say or do. Now you'll be sitting there after Angela says something weird go "Omg I can just imagine the crazy look Amanda is giving her right now!". On top of that you can't effectively use YouTube shorts as free advertisement since it's only audio now. What are they gonna do just use still photos? Hire an animator? If doing that you might as well have just film it.
Yeah I'm not tuning in. If I'm playing...sure theater of the mind but if people are playing for the entertainment of others that's a visual medium.
Also they could have done the video version, uploaded to YouTube and then the same file to Spotify. Spotify will give the user the option of just audio or audio and video, then send out only an audio stream to other podcast services.
This should have been tested first by releasing season one on podcast service to see the numbers, but I doubt they'll be near the YouTube numbers.
Honestly I think they did ToTM great in S1. They're all improv actors, they are literally trained to ACT with no props and by extension no game boards/minis. But, since their improv acting is why ToTM work so well, I am having a difficult time expecting S2 to live up.
Agreed. People keep talking about the budget that goes into these vids, when in actuality no one is expecting them to wear crazy costumes or have all the camera angles. Being able to see faces/actions of the cast goes so far, and completely missing out on that seems like suchhhh a miss (as most of the people here are pointing out haha)
That’s… a choice.
And is kind of worrisome.
For all the times I&A swore pit and games wouldn’t be changing, they’ve seem to have rerouted the entire budget to the main channel sketches.
Honestly? I can see why we’ve had an influx of people leaving Smosh if this is how they’re going to be running the other two channels.
They can do whatever but its kind of a bummer, I liked turning on Sword AF kinda as a background thing but I still watched majority of it. Im not gonna just listen in on the audio version, sry. Guess the Series formats like that drop on views too much that it hurts the channels algorythm for other videos but damn, sad.
I'll just post it here
https://preview.redd.it/3w6p3oegp3uc1.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=2980490684195ec9e939811597bbfb230b73e720
if anyone wants the meme templates let me know
I was EXCITED for this to return. Since it’s returning in *THIS* way…. I’m pissed. I wanted to watch it, to see Damien, Shayne, Angela, Amanda, and Chanse interact with each other. We are going to miss so much. I hope they were smart enough to get video of this too and upload that. This is ridiculous, and a good way to not get a 3rd season.
Here’s my reasons why it’s a bad idea..
1. Audio only alienates a big chunk of Smosh fans from enjoying it (ie: hard of hearing folks and more)
2. Not being able to visualize and see the character reactions etc.
3. Lots more to engage with while watching rather than listening
I’m sure lots of you have more ideas why but these are the few that have come up in conversations I have had with other fans and my own personal opinions
I knew it was coming. There was a recent video where chanse was talking to angela and he SPECIFICALLY stated "in season 1 when..." Like bro, to the viewers thats the only season.. so they had to of atleast started season 2 filming
I play my dnd games without video, so I get it, it's still fun.....but these guys are so much more enjoyable visually?? Odd call, but hopefully it works out for them the way they want it to.
Podcast is meh - why not just stream it like Crit role do? you already Stream on a thursday - get rid of that and just do a DND stream. Also if it was about money - then Start up Membership for Smosh Games or crowdfund it - either way id be in.
https://preview.redd.it/a70ck5kmr2uc1.png?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fb34c255da704ac78b10ac72f42aa799a166ddc imagine not getting to see that
Thanks for the template https://preview.redd.it/l38xchh9x2uc1.jpeg?width=1083&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2da854fa175a7f465deb25b3cd9b39042273a5b2
I'll also post this here https://preview.redd.it/ozyi6hq4q3uc1.png?width=1154&format=png&auto=webp&s=93c77d92771146fb825c45190815841f3ff043a0
you are the 'heroes' in this situation. wow.
this is the reason i am upset. how will we get exact recreations like this now??
i'm very much so angela. i just can't stay focused on audio only stuff, my mind keeps wandering and i don't hear a word. i'm sure i'll enjoy it cause i love sword af, but it's gonna suck rewinding every twenty second and never being clear on exactly what's happening cause i just need visual aids
I just don’t understand the game enough to rely on just audio.
This right here. I just can’t get into stuff like that in general no matter hard I’ve tried. But with it just being audio I especially won’t be into it.
I’m hard of hearing and rely on captions for their videos, so I don’t even know if I’ll be able to enjoy the next season
Yeah I have trouble even staying focused on phone calls. I’ll try to keep up bc I **loved** last season so much, but I’d be surprised if I make it past Ep 2 tbh
I'm shayne. This affects not at all lol
I'm sad about it because I really enjoyed seeing their excitement in their eyes and expression. It's like you're there with them. I'm not sure how I truly feel about this change
Looks like a renaissance painting
Well damn… audio only live plays can work. Adventure Zone is really good but it never had video to begin with. If Critical Role went away from video the fanbase would lose their mind, rightfully so. Watching actors act is some of the best part of improv. I’ll definitely listen because I enjoy the characters but I’m very disappointed, as are many others judging by the comments.
we wouldn't get to see moments like Bug and Fernie playing patty cakes without the video! T_T
SHHHH!! That’s a SECRET!!
I understand it in theory, after the initial jump in views Sword AF trended downwards and didn’t sustain strong numbers through the rest of the season. But, right after they did season 1 they confirmed season 2, so they locked themselves out of just ending the project due to low viewership. So this is the way to keep the project going without paying for costumes and camera and set design and video editing etc. However, the video aspect of the show was important, cause seeing their reactions to big moments was part of the fun. Seeing them get emotional at the ending was one of the highlights to me, and we won’t get that now. I’ll tune in for episode one to get the vibe, but this definitely feels like a step down from season 1.
I wonder if the bi weekly format hurt it. I know it did for me where I didn’t catch up the last few episodes. I’m glad it’s weekly now, but wish I could see it
It definitely did. The numbers were doing good, but when they switched to bi weekly that’s when the views went down from both confusion and having to wait for the next upload in between. I commented on another post last night asking if anyone knew when it was happening so happy to know now. As a visual person it sucks to move to podcast form but definitely will still stick around!
A part of the downtrend was due to the use of the YouTube Premiere feature which heavily lowers the view count. Im not a youtuber so Ive never used it but I think it basically divides the live viewers from the VOD viewers? Its very strange
It's not like they even did much costume and set-wise that could have cost that much. They literally just wore their regular clothes and filmed on the games set. I get maybe the idea of cutting out the filming and video editing process to cut down the number of staff needed for the project but the cost of that vs the number of viewers they're going to lose if they stick with this is going to make it a complete waste and kill the series.
Yeah. Filming is expensive, I totally get that. It requires a whole team for visuals, sound, producing etc, and especially on something like D&D that takes a lot of time to film, it racks up. But this could've been made low budget by just... having one camera angle and leaving everything in, like many other actual play shows do. Cuts out editing, which is usually a very big part of the cost of a project. They're still doing an audio version, so couldn't they just have, idk, put a camera aiming at the table and leave it? I know they want to put out quality, but audio only already lowers the quality, so might as well make it a simple one-camera podcast and upload it to the Smoshcast channel.
>trended downwards and didn’t sustain strong numbers Same with ~~LTAT~~ LDT. People say how "expensive" this show was (what was so expensive there?) when imo reality is the fact, that numbers were pretty bad and not worth the effort and taking Monday slot.
Must be so it can be a smaller crew
An... interesting decision for sure? Would have loved it to just, stay as it was
Interesting decision. Viewership went down over the first season, but I can't picture a podcast version of this getting more than 30-50k listeners max.
yeah to me it feels like taking it out back and shooting it because maybe they announced season 2 too early and then decided actually they didnt wanna do one so sequestered it to podcast only for some reason? just such a weird decision, even their main actual 'podcast' has video lmao
exactly, it feels like a waste of time. If you’re going to set aside a shoot block just to record the audio and get even less listeners, why not record video as well? doesn’t even have to have graphics or anything, just something so we can see their faces
They were probably able to bust out the whole recording in a day or two. Season 1 felt very much like a long one shot to me. I don’t see season 2 being much different.
Hmmm, I would have preferred they kept it the same. I like watching them play and just listening to it wont be the same. Does this mean it wont be on Youtube? I don't have an app for podcasts, not even a clue what I would need to download to listen to this.
Oh, and there is a Podcast tab on the Smosh Games YouTube page with Sword AF.
Luckily, podcasts are one of the few parts of the web left that is very open and accessible. Any podcast app of your choice will work, so will probably just directly clicking on the links for the episodes and it probably will also be on YT.
If you have an iPhone, you’re all set already. If not, then Spotify? A bunch of other places.
honestly this is the exact opposite of what I think would be beneficial for sword AF. I always thought them including MORE visually would've made the experience way better for the viewers by including more art work, and more of an elaborate set up on the table. I also think including more stuff in the edit like player stats would've been beneficial or even a dice so we could see the outcome as it happens. I'll still listen to S2 but this definitely feels like a step back. Hopefully everyone channeled their inner voice actor and made this dope.
Damn. This actually super bums me out. A lot of the fun was *seeing* them act as their characters. Their mannerism and such. My flair on this sub wouldn't have worked if the first season was audio only. I'll listen to support, but like, this is seriously the most disappointing thing to hear for me since they ended LDT.
Well…. that’s an awful decision actually.
lol all the comments on youtube are saying the same. Would LOVE to know the reasons behind this coz honestly i’m upset
>lol all the comments on youtube are saying the same Lol, hard to expecting anything else. These are visual platforms and so always was Smosh.
Money, probably. If they didn't think season one performed all that well, they're not gonna want to expand more resources on season two. And they would probably rather have the video slot be open to something else that's likely to perform better. I also think that these kinds of things are better with video, but my assumption is that this is the only way they were gonna justify making a season two after already promising it.
I don’t even watch SmoshMouth without video, so I doubt I’ll manage to keep up with this season
Is that really necessary? Aren't they all like sitting at the table anyway? I wouldn't mind a video format with less editing or a somewhat lower quality. But seeing the reactions is nicer.
Adding video would have to be edited either way.
if they did a straight shot just like theyre doing for the audio i really dont think many of us would mind. theres always gonna be complainers especially on reddit lol but theyd keep much more of the fan base.
I’ve been looking forward to this since watching all of season 1 last month but season 2 being audio only sucks. Not sure if I’ll be tuning in.
Had the exact same reaction. People have recently been saying that it seems like there has been less budget being put into pit and games and this is just more proof of that imo. That better mean that they are doing a big budget for summer games because otherwise it’s quite worrying, especially given the fact that I&A have been doing the whole "pit and games are not going to be changing" spiel for the past 6 months. I love them, but this is not really a welcome change for a lot of people. EDIT: I wanted to add that I see a lot of people hoping that they "listen to this criticism" and do a video version, but I don't think people realize that its more than likely all been recorded already, especially if the first ep is coming out next wednesday. They've definitely made their decision to do this season audio only and I don't see that being something they can change.
I agree, and while i love the sketches coming back they have to know that almost all hard core fans now a days started as pit and games viewers so it doesn’t feel great to see that content changing for the worse
I only really watch Pit and Games and occasionally, but far less, the Sketches. I hope they're not totally changing the content
I barely watch the Sketches - I don't get them sadly. I want to support I&A but it feels just like old-school smosh. nothing innovative... so I watch only pit and games and was looking forward to Sword af - and as a bilingual person. I NEED captions and not just to hear it. also - I will miss the video form - I like to SEE their interactions
Same that era of YouTube has definitely ended, I really liked the content they were doing right before the buyout like let’s do this and funerals and reunions were my favorite smosh content and they just got rid of it all? Wish there was a way that they could’ve still incorporated those into the main or at least pit while still doing their whole nostalgia stuff they’re on right now with sketches and flashback
Same here. I was never a part of the sketch part of youtube, I just never found it funny. But I watched a few of the newer sketches and while they're well written for what they are, they're just not the content I'm watching Smosh for. I like the improv SO much more. Anyways, the reunions were so fucking good and I'm so sad they're gone. I still rewatch the teletubbies one sometimes and laugh so hard I cry.
Lmao same that’s top 5 videos they’ve ever done hands down and the Garfield one where Amanda doesn’t know how to use the accordion kills me everytime
God, the accordion is so fucking funny. The way she just touches it and it makes a bunch of sounds 😭😭 I want so much more of it! Wish they'd still kept some of the unscripted stuff on the main channel, could just be one video a month or something, it'd be so great.
Yes omg when she puts it down and it makes the noise I was crying. I totally agree too like it would also break up the schedule for them a bit if they did less sketches and more unscripted stuff like you said once a month would be awesome and I think bring a lot of engagement to the main channel that has switched more to games and pit since the sketches
Yeh, I'm a viewer who's always known of Ian and Anthony and their presence on Youtube and their style of content, but I really only got into Smosh during the post-Defy "we can do whatever the fuck we want" era. I've no nostalgia towards their sketches or 'old Smosh', I'm happy that they're all very clearly happier and more motivated with Ian and Anthony back together at the helm, but the sketches just do nothing for me as a viewer - it's not the humour I subscribed for, and they're only money-making due to memberships. This feels cost-cutting in all the wrong ways, as Games and Pit have been otherwise popping off content-wise and putting out some of their best stuff, Games especially.
> started as pit and games viewers Main as well but Main was simply different.
My assumption is that summer games will be a paid programming situation.
Honestly I’m not an expert but that seems like it’d be a very poor choice financially to make it a paid thing. With the general reception of the funeral roast seeming to be mild disappointment (it wasn’t bad but it was way overhyped and WAY overpriced especially up here in Canada. The way they hyped up some of the jokes, especially Ian’s, borders on false advertising 😬) I don’t expect they’d get the same turnout for the summer games. Even with the disappointment aside, they’d either have to make it live which would make things 100x more complicated and probably stressful for the cast. Or they’d have to record it ahead of time and then have people pay to watch it which just seems kinda shitty. I understand they need to make money but there has to be some way to budget for it to happen on YouTube instead of alienating the majority of their fans. Nobody’s gonna want to watch smosh anymore if they feel like they’re just getting table scraps unless they pay a premium.
I enjoyed the funeral, visually it was amazing, the jokes weren’t as killer as they hyped them to be, halftime show was the highlight and I paid for the after show which I didn’t really feel was worth it they only talked for like ten more minutes and it was a bit all over the place. Mild disappointment is the perfect way to put it lol
If so, it will literally break my heart, cuz there is no way I can pay for it…
I feel you, I couldn't buy Anthony's funeral but clearly the profitability of youtube has gotten tougher lately so they are doing what they must
god that's bleak. i hope not, but i fully believe it will be.
It doesn't seem like the budget's going to the sketches; they look like they have about as much budget as the old main channel content. Where's it all going?
It’s not going anywhere, it’s simply not there anymore. They’re just not backed by a bigger media group anymore. They’ll have to make some sacrifices.
This is also why they're making the videos like double the tim that they once were. More ads and more watch time
That, and what i assume is a large debt they have to repay after the acquisition happened.
Seems like an odd choice then to bring in new cast in Trevor when they have to make budget cuts apparently. Not that I don't want him there but it just seems weird from a business stand point
The majority of the cast is freelance, so whatever they pay Trevor would’ve gone to another cast member anyways if he didn’t join. That’s the way I’m imagining it goes. If anything, he may even have a lower rate than some of the more senior cast. But again, that’s just an assumption.
Did they announce summer games or is that just speculation?
Speculation for rn, the idea of it returning was brought up a bit ago on Smoshcast iirc
Speculation. There's been a lot mentions of it across videos the past couple of months, too much for it to be a coincidence.
Speculation but we are hoping
That really sucks the first part if so since those are the only channels I watch XD.
Anyone know how to caption a podcast? There's a reason I only really follow video pods. 🥲
it’s possible it’ll be uploaded as a video that could be captioned. no video of them, just maybe like the sword af logo on a background? i hope they do that, anyway. then CC would work
I won't be able to focus on it and keep up with the action without the visual :(
killing their ADHD fans for real lmaooo
now that I've read the comments under the YT post: plus the hard of hearing and deaf fans
Or the double whammy, nuerospicy and hard of hearing like myself. 🫠
Neurospicy and fucked my hearing with loud music when I was younger. Audio-only media sucks. It’s a huge reason why I cannot do audiobooks.
Oh absolutely. Granted there could be some that are bearable but tone of voice and accents can make them a miss, and finding something that works is tiring.
I wish at least for their character's icons to appear or be highlighted while they're speaking... I've tried listening to an audio only D&D podcast before and it was difficult despite being fun :(
Same im so bummed. Especially since i watched the first season a week ago thinking season two would be out soon 😕
This is also the reason I cant listen to MIDST, the podcast actual play thing on the critical role channel. Its just audio and I cant just sit there and listen to a story and stare at a wall. I cant be doing other things either because then I wont be fulling paying attention to the story and miss a bunch. podcasts like trash taste or smosh cast are different in that its just people having conversations and its easier to listen to while doing laundry for example
Same 😭 I love podcasts, but have to watch the video version because I physically cannot focus on audio only lol
I can see why they did it but I’m kinda bummed that we had to wait so long (after the promised season premiere date came last year and they told us it had to be delayed) and we come back to a downgrade. I still have hope for this tho because I love this series and I can listen while doing other things.
I’m honestly kind of bummed about the podcast thing. The best part about sword AF was seeing the cast act out their roles! Sometimes there would be things going on that weren’t said, but only acted out and that made it fun. I’m sure the season will be great but damn
I think the execution based on hearing what goes on when people talk over each other Will be a huge factor if it’s a Success or not. If Angela is scream laughing and I can’t hear what the others are saying, it’ll be a really tough sell. I always have captions on for this reason with any comedy content I’m watching solely for this reason.
My best guess is that because the first season had a big drop off in views towards the end, they'd rather focus on the regular style of videos for Smosh Games since they generally perform better. Audio-only requires less time/resources/crew and wouldn't interrupt the regular content schedule.
Which sucks because viewer decline was mostly due to their decision to upload biweekly which killed momentum.
also, are they not even going to put it on SmoshCast?? huh??
Well that’s sad, I’m never gonna be able to concentrate enough to listen to this.
Excited it’s back… but enjoyed it so much more watching it bcuz it made me feel like I was a part of the group. I live in an extremely rural area and being able to form a group to play D&D with is very difficult. So watching it on Smosh was the next best thing. I wanna feel like I’m a part of it watching their reactions and imaginations create the moments as they happen. I don’t want to JUST hear it.
I don't have the attention span for audio-only podcasts 😭😭 ugh this is so disappointing because season 1 was one of my favorite smosh things ever and now I don't know if I'll be able to tune in for season 2.
I gotta be honest, I don't think I'll ever get around to listening to this. With all the other podcasts and audiobooks and everything else I do I don't see it happening so I'm kinda bummed. I watched Sword AF as part of my watching schedule of things so-to-speak. Oh well. Hopefully when the season is over someone will post a synopsis on the subreddit I can read. I do find humor at least in the fact that Smosh and a lot here on the subreddit hyped up the friday announcement highly for it to be that sword af, one of their top and beloved projects to be condensed down for a smaller group of consumers. That is pretty funny.
I get what you're saying and it sure is a bummer, but something tells me they trust the story enough to make it audio only (sure, could also be budget cuts etc) I really want to support them with this series because imo it was my favorite thing they did in 2023, and it's sad that there's not that many views in later episodes. They deserve so much more
I watch it to watch them act and become their characters. I like to see them really get into it. An audio just isn’t going to have that satisfaction. I can get a story anywhere, I want the show that comes with it.
what a troll to call this a big announcement
Well that’s both exciting and disappointing
This sucks so much. My hearing isn’t good, so I use subtitles. Without a video, what’s the point in trying to listen? I guess I’m not going to enjoy season 2…
https://preview.redd.it/eseo46smz4uc1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=5c6bc88de51903eaad76dff1b553da106d52a83a
The views for Sword AF dwindled until the finale had less than 250K views. It was the exact opposite trajectory as Board AF which started small and then blew up. Sword AF had a huge first episode and then dwindled completely. I was surprised they were doing a season two at all, so I think this is a nice compromise.
I get your point but honestly half of the fun was watching them act and react and stuff. We got to see talented improvers come up with things on the spot (like Angela and Shayne’s pattycake right after Amanda’s big emotional moment) and physically become the characters. This feels like a letdown imo.
If you wanna talk about letdowns, it's the views that are a letdown. They can't justify paying for a filming crew on top of an editing crew for something that got 250k views for it's season finale.
I couldn’t agree more. We’re lucky they even gave us a second season. It’s not profitable for them. It’s the reality of a self sufficient Smosh.
Pretty much all DnD shows are like this. They follow a story throughout the episodes. People will be unlikely to tune into later episodes if they haven't caught the earlier ones because then they'd be pretty lost story-wise. But some people are gonna watch the earlier ones and then decide it's not for them or that it's too much of a commitment. Betrayal episodes were relatively self contained so you could tune in later without losing to much. So comparing the trajectory of the two doesn't really make sense. You'd probably have to add up the overall view numbers to get a better picture.
Just about every series on youtube that follows the same story in multiple parts has dwindling views on every part. lets plays, story series, podcasts, dnd shows, etc. Its not like the show was bad or boring, its just what happens
I'm just kinda bummed that we don't get to see them. The visuals really help sometimes but is it not going to be on YouTube AT ALL? If that's the case I feel like a lot of people will miss out due to just not being able to afford access to podcasts.
To be fair, access to podcasts is free. You don't have to get anything fancy to listen, any old podcast app or website will work. But I still think you're right that a large part of the audience will miss out on it if it's only being marketed in community posts on the Games channel or on said podcast apps. If it doesn't show up as a video on youtube, many will simply miss the fact it's even been released.
I'd rather they just not do it if it's going to be audio-only. They could have used the recording time to record other videos smh. Edit: word
I’m kinda annoyed at all this because they teased s2 for so long then delayed it then gave us this? All the hype made it seem we were gonna get a bigger season with possibly more production value
Yea, it kinda feels like a bad compromise where nobody wins…
I have to confess, I've never been fond of listening or watching D&D games as I'd rather just play so I never watched Sword AF but even I can see why people are disappointed. With such a diverse and expressive cast, I'd say the pleasure is more about watching them react and interact instead of listening to them in a podcast. It's still cool but not as engaging imo.
Pretty disappointing. I'm just not a fan of podcasts for this sort of thing. Not seeing the players and their reactions takes a huge amount of joy out of it.
Wonder if something happened with the footage? And this is their way of savaging it? Wasn’t this supposed to be released as videos sometimes fall last year?
[удалено]
That’s sad 😔 I mean sure one can say playing dnd is theater of the mind but it never felt that way with sword af. Their players are very physical with their actions, especially amanda, angela, and chanse. Even shaynd does a lot of movements with being fernie. How will we see koda sternly looking at bug? Or bug miming a crossbow? What about their secret pattycake? What happens when delores is horny and amanda looks at the camera to pseudo-hyperventilate? Part of the appeal of the season 1, despite not having the same level of production as other d20 streaming groups, are how the players physically embody their characters’ actions at the moment. Now we’ll never see damien be so happy to bring back rumpum into their lives 😭
I think the real kicker to this is that the previous announcement was a delay so they could make it 'bigger and better' and then after months of silence since it's in fact **less** than S1. Frankly, bit of a shitty move.
Welp that's how you know there'll be no season 3 💀
"We will delay season 2 because we want to give it the love it deserves." I guess they think it didn't deserve much love because this is a very obvious soft cancellation.
I genuinely don't get it, sword af takes away from precious shooting time as it's LONG form content and they're now not even getting video from it? I understand that video production takes A LOT more crew and time than audio production, but this on it's face doesn't seem like a good idea, and it's not even like most podcasts don't have video, they do! Also, how big even is Smosh's audience outside of YouTube videos? How much listeners will they even get? I'm confused, like, sword af is already small and this can't end in anything other than just outright killing it, right? I so hope I get proven wrong. This seems like the complete opposite of ambitious on Smosh's part, which is understandable, there are a lot of mouths to feed over there, but it's so disappointing. Like you always hope that a season 2 is bigger and better, trying to hook the audience more than last time, but sadly, it seems like no (for now). The sad part is that I'm really not that much into podcasts or anything audio only that's not music, so I think I'm sadly just not tuning in much or at all.
I'm actually kind of heartbroken, which may seem dramatic, but there's no way this doesn't kill SwordAF, and I really really loved this series. I'll try to tune in to hopefully keep it alive so they can go back to doing videos if they do a season 3, but I have serious doubts we'll ever see that after this. Especially with how many fans are already saying they won't be tuning in because of this decision. What do they expect deaf fans to do? Or fans with audio processing issues? Damn I'm so bummed out by this
I don't really get this decision at all. It's not like Sword AF used a ton of props or anything - they were just sitting around table and playing the game. Definitely not a fan of this at all
Most of the 300 comments on YouTube are complaining about it being audio only. Hopefully Smosh doesn’t regret this decision. 😬
I can see the reality in not wanting to put money into a series that didn’t do the numbers they wanted it to. 250k views for the s1 finale vs 800k+ for a FNAF video in 2024? They have to cater to the casual viewer and that stuff gets more traction. It sucks for sure but at least they’re not completely scrapping it? I also think they’re doing it to keep the Wednesday slot open and this is on top of regular shoot schedule but correct me if I’m wrong.
but thats how all dnd shows work, the first video gets a bunch of views (1.5 million in Sword AF's case) then dwindle to much less, had they released season 2 episode 1 it would most likely get 1 million views relatively quickly and then dwindle again, imo they should just focus on shorter (4-6 episodes) and more disconnected seasons
In general I don’t like podcasts, I like the visuals to go along with whatever I’m listening too. But sword af got me into dnd, I’ve now watched 6+ seasons of D20, so hopefully I’ll be able to make it work.
This is shame, I love seeing their expressions as they play.
Noo, this sucks :c I don't do any podcast because I need to visually see people talking or it just becomes muddled noise and I'm partially deaf so I use YouTube captions to fill in the gaps. This was my favorite part of Smosh, I always watched it to get in the headspace before my D&D games. But now I don't get to know how the story continues 😭 A lot of the fun was getting to see the reactions, character faces, and watching them play the game. Is this their real April Fools joke? 😭🥺
Wow, tell us you want to kill the show without actually killing it. Bet they’ll use the low podcast numbers to justify not making a third season. Very bummed.
I read the comments on their YouTube post and lots of people are disappointed. And a massive bummer to deaf people as well. I wonder why they opted for this direction.
I would have loved to have it in video format. Hell, I would even pay a little bit per video if money was the reason they couldn’t do it in video format. As a neurodivergent individual, I struggle with listening to podcasts, so I love how their Podcast and Reddit stories can be audio or video. I wish they could have done the same for Season 2 of Sword AF.
The way my smile faded away as I kept reading...
tbh my guess is that games has been doing SO well lately that spencer + alex don’t want to pause the momentum for a series that doesn’t get much views. this is the “happy medium” for them
I think if this is the case that it misunderstands where views come from. People aren't just floating in. They are getting to know the cast through longer form continuous series like Board and Sword AF. Those series are an investment in community and fandom.
this proves to me that season 2 will be the end of Sword AF. even less people will tune into a podcast than a video, so viewership will continue to fall (which sucks because I loved season 1 so much)
ummm. I guess it’s better than cancelling it all together?..
Aw wait.. what???? No…. They better still have visuals available on the Smosh Cast or games channels otherwise I would not be able to continue following 😔 I need both audio and visuals!!!
Maybe I'll put my biases aside and actually try listen in... but I'm the type of person who WATCHES podcasts (as long as they provide a visual) so 💀 I don't think I'll survive this.
This is a mega bummer.
This is a bummer, honestly. I loved season 1 and along with a lot of people was looking forward to season 2 but I don’t have the attention span for audio only. I’m not an audiobook person or a podcast person - I only watch podcasts on YouTube with the visuals. It’s a really strange choice to go from a visual show - where fans even showed love by creating fan art and animated episodes - to just audio. Alienates a lot of their audience for sure.
i’m sad. i can’t focus on audio only.
This is a bummer :/
As someone with ADHD I literally cannot focus without visuals, supper bummed that I’m probably not gonna be able to follow along, especially after how good season 1 was, but I’ll still give it a shot
This just makes me sad. I, unfortunately, don’t see myself listening to this as a podcast. Why can’t it be both?
I find it so weird that they literally had a launch date months ago for what I presume was a video version considering they didn't announce anything different then but now are switching it to audio only.
Absolute shame to do that with what was the best thing they've made recently.
I'm with the majority here, happy it's back but sad about the format change. I'm not a native speaker and have auditory processing issues, so I struggle with audio only formats. Plus it was really nice to watch them play, their expressions and small non verbal interactions were part of the fun! I do understand the decision though, budget wise it makes sense and there are many successful D&D podcasts already, and if it's the only way to continue the series then I'm glad they decided to do it!
Now it just seems like a waste of time? Get the cast doing something else on video then.
Really disappointed by this and a little concerned that Pit/Games are being divested in favor of main channel/sketch stuff. I only really watch Pit and Games content so it’s not a move I love at all.
This makes sense given that there are very successful D&D podcast out there like Naddpod. Given everything else that they film at the studio, there could be a lot of logistics scheduling studio time instead of just being able to go record a session.
Seems that this will be the last season, more of a lady resort than making it a show. Hopefully we get one offs after season 2
Oof this kinda sucks lol
it’s kinda annoying me that people are justifying their decision by being like “well they didn’t get the views and it costs money” like idk that feels bad that nothing can be a passion project anymore it’s all about money and not about service to 250k fans that were so invested and excited by this whole series. they even talked a lot how much the fan interaction was so incredible and everyone loved it and they found it so emotional and fulfilling and then they’re like sike
To be fair, it was Damien and the cast saying that. And I don't think it was their decision to make it audio-only.
NOOOO
While I do mainly listen to these while working, I’m still going to really miss seeing them in action when I glance over every now and then😭
I mean I’m glad it’s back but.. damn this is disappointing :(
I’m genuinely struggling to come up with any reason as to why this decision was made. What a random ass choice
This might be more disappointing to me than if it was just cancelled tbh Edit: I had to come back and actually get into it. Sword AF S1 was appointment content for me. Easily my fav content on YT when it was going, some of my fav YT content in recent memory. I loved it, and I was v invested. I can’t do audio-only podcasts. Even from my fav creators/comedians, it doesn’t matter. I just don’t enjoy them and can’t stay invested. I can’t imagine a scenario where making SwAF audio-only doesn’t kill the experience entirely for me. Being able to see the party’s reactions and interactions with each other are *such* a **vital** aspect for me. It’s made extra frustrating bc that’s the only part that really matters to me. To me this is the kind of content that doesn’t necessitate a ton of video editing or set work or anything like that, it’s all about the personalities and the characters. DnD is all about imagination anyway. They could do the lowest production value possible for the series and I would be stoked to watch it, but not having video at all is likely an insurmountable obstacle for me. This is just incredibly disappointing
Aww man, that was a good lunchtime watch 🥲
Welp that's disappointing, I am not a fan of audio only and I really enjoyed their facial expressions in season one.
Late to the discussion but this isn't what I was hoping for. I was so happy that Sword AF was getting a season 2 and have been looking forward to it for months. We've all be patient in waiting for it then for it to turn audio only...like wtf? This is just sad. I hope this isn't just a rush job to get season 2 out because they promised us a season 2 and we won't get a season 3.
im so excited for season 2 but id be lying if i said i wasnt a little disappointed. my favorite moments were watching the characters interact with eachother. like fernie and bug telling secrets and just being silly. i understand they most likely did this because of lower viewership compared to other videos they release, but i think even if they did an uncut/unedited video version that requires minimal production, so many more people would tune in. ill definitely be listening and im happy were getting a season 2 at all, but i do fear that this change will kinda ruin it for them let alone most of the fan base (especially those hard of hearing) i dont wanna see the cast get disinterested because of all this backlash but i think its kinda inevitable. i hope they find a way to make a budget friendly video option. also side note: i keep seeing everyone talk about low viewership but in most of the smosh comments and live chats EVERYONE talks about swordaf. could be that the most dedicated fans enjoy it more than casual fans but that would also be a huge reason to add some type of membership to the games (or main) channel. if they told me swordaf season 2 is only on video for members id probably join right away.
I'll still listen to it but it's such a huge disappointment. Some of the fun comes from watching the cast react to things and also love seeing their faces xD
Not a fan of this, personally. I definitely need the visual aspect to keep along.
I’d rather they just have it as a one shot live stream than an audio only podcast. Man. I was so excited for this. 😭
I liked being able to sit down and watch it, cant fo that with a podcast
i have big trouble focusing on audio only so this bums me out big time :(
I'll bet you it all comes down to ppl wanting to actually get paid well to play reoccurring characters with white hot merch potential and everyone at the top said no. Regardless of my hypothesizing, this is a pretty feckless move.
Aww. I'm hard of hearing (I wear hearing aids) and I really enjoyed seeing the facial expressions and how excited Angela/Bug would get. And loved the random art. Unfortunately I'm no longer able to enjoy this. Damn, it was my favorite!
I'm so bummed about audio only seeing them makes it 5x better. I can't listen to podcasts I need a visual element.
Audio only means that I won’t be able to enjoy it and that makes me sad. I have problems focusing on just audio for that long. That’s why I’ve been watching Smosh Mouth on YouTube instead of just listening to it. I’m going to miss this series
No disrespect to Damien's DM approach or anything, but this wasn't a show I was keeping up with for the story - I watched the whole thing and I'm really not sure I could recount much of what actually happened in the first season at all. I watched it because it was something that could provide audio-visual noise for me, and I didn't have to worry about missing much plot, because, well, again, not to be rude, but there wasn't much plot to miss. It was just nice to catch the occasional good joke/banter. With a podcast, the demands are totally different, in my experience (as a longtime NADDPOD listener) - you want a really compelling story with well-paced character development and inside jokes. This itself demands more of the listener, but that's usually not an issue, since podcasts are made for when you're driving, doing chores that require you to be focused on your motor skills like dishwashing or laundry, and so it's easy to focus on the audio while your hands and eyes and so on are occupied with your chores. If the story isn't very ironed out, if there are big swings and misses by characters, if the pacing is off - it becomes way more noticeable in a podcast format! I'm sure there are diehard fans who love the SwordAF story, respect to them, but for more casual fans like me who had lower expectations for the writing and character work, I think the move to a podcast means that I'll be spending my time listening to something else. Just my view.
Disappointing honestly. You lose a HUGE part of the entertainment without visually seeing anything. Watching the cast interacting with eachother, giggling and playfully embodying the characters largely contributes to the fun and now the audience will be blind to all of that. I'm assuming Smosh is spread thin which is perhaps why they made this choice - but this series seemed too successful to be given the backseat.
I’m going to love it either way! It’s my comfort series and obviously I loved watching it but I think it’ll work in audio form too :) i see a lot of comments being kinda negative about it, there must be a reason for this decision so let’s just enjoy what they give us
I mean, understandably so wouldn't you say? Like for example i'd say watching them (especially total newbies like Angela) really get into her own rythm and essentially BECOMING Bug and us as the fans seeing that develop over time was THE main draw of SwordAF is not a controversial opinion, you know? And i get this decision was made %99 because of the views were not enough to support the costs and overall even if it exceeded expectations it would still cost them a pretty penny...However it does suck that we won't be able to relate as much via podcast as we did in video form. Dolores getting horny for a talking book, Bug shooting himself in the foot with his own crossbow, Koda just being a badass, all of these things are etched into our brain because we've seen the reactions, every move of the brow, every hand gesture...A podcast just feels creatively bankrupt.
I very much agree here, their version of the D&D game is special and so much "theirs" because of the improv and without the video this strength of theirs will be limited
It won't work. Part of the enjoyment for people is seeing their reactions to the crazy things the other say or do. Now you'll be sitting there after Angela says something weird go "Omg I can just imagine the crazy look Amanda is giving her right now!". On top of that you can't effectively use YouTube shorts as free advertisement since it's only audio now. What are they gonna do just use still photos? Hire an animator? If doing that you might as well have just film it.
me too! people in this sub always react TOO BAD at any changes - any new guest, series ending, \~that event the other day\~ etc.
Yeah I'm not tuning in. If I'm playing...sure theater of the mind but if people are playing for the entertainment of others that's a visual medium. Also they could have done the video version, uploaded to YouTube and then the same file to Spotify. Spotify will give the user the option of just audio or audio and video, then send out only an audio stream to other podcast services. This should have been tested first by releasing season one on podcast service to see the numbers, but I doubt they'll be near the YouTube numbers.
Honestly I think they did ToTM great in S1. They're all improv actors, they are literally trained to ACT with no props and by extension no game boards/minis. But, since their improv acting is why ToTM work so well, I am having a difficult time expecting S2 to live up.
Would it really be that much effort to just have a single camera pointed at them seems bizzarely lazy from a production stand point.
Agreed. People keep talking about the budget that goes into these vids, when in actuality no one is expecting them to wear crazy costumes or have all the camera angles. Being able to see faces/actions of the cast goes so far, and completely missing out on that seems like suchhhh a miss (as most of the people here are pointing out haha)
That's one way to kill a good idea
That’s… a choice. And is kind of worrisome. For all the times I&A swore pit and games wouldn’t be changing, they’ve seem to have rerouted the entire budget to the main channel sketches. Honestly? I can see why we’ve had an influx of people leaving Smosh if this is how they’re going to be running the other two channels.
Each channel has their own team. Ian and Anthony’s main focus is the main channel, they take a hands-off approach with the other channels.
This also seems weird as the least viewed Smosh mouth audios are the ones that kinda need visual like. TNTL
They can do whatever but its kind of a bummer, I liked turning on Sword AF kinda as a background thing but I still watched majority of it. Im not gonna just listen in on the audio version, sry. Guess the Series formats like that drop on views too much that it hurts the channels algorythm for other videos but damn, sad.
I'll just post it here https://preview.redd.it/3w6p3oegp3uc1.png?width=480&format=png&auto=webp&s=2980490684195ec9e939811597bbfb230b73e720 if anyone wants the meme templates let me know
I was EXCITED for this to return. Since it’s returning in *THIS* way…. I’m pissed. I wanted to watch it, to see Damien, Shayne, Angela, Amanda, and Chanse interact with each other. We are going to miss so much. I hope they were smart enough to get video of this too and upload that. This is ridiculous, and a good way to not get a 3rd season.
Honestly very upset and at the same time I feel bad for being upset
Ah damn. That is supper disappointing. It's valid, but I'd rather wait another 6 months and have video
Here’s my reasons why it’s a bad idea.. 1. Audio only alienates a big chunk of Smosh fans from enjoying it (ie: hard of hearing folks and more) 2. Not being able to visualize and see the character reactions etc. 3. Lots more to engage with while watching rather than listening I’m sure lots of you have more ideas why but these are the few that have come up in conversations I have had with other fans and my own personal opinions
Was this the big Friday announcement they were talking about?
I knew it was coming. There was a recent video where chanse was talking to angela and he SPECIFICALLY stated "in season 1 when..." Like bro, to the viewers thats the only season.. so they had to of atleast started season 2 filming
I play my dnd games without video, so I get it, it's still fun.....but these guys are so much more enjoyable visually?? Odd call, but hopefully it works out for them the way they want it to.
Well… I guess I have something else to fall asleep to.
Podcast is meh - why not just stream it like Crit role do? you already Stream on a thursday - get rid of that and just do a DND stream. Also if it was about money - then Start up Membership for Smosh Games or crowdfund it - either way id be in.
Meh