Introducing Bonus Level - The Spiritual Successor to "The Point"

Hey friends.

Years ago, long before Noclip, I had a dream to make an online show that looked at games through a different lens. That spoke to the design of games and the way they affect our lives. When I was hired at GameSpot I was able to put that dream into practice and start my opinion show The Point. Over three years we produced 83 episodes that dove into everything from to the rise of virtual reality, to the evolution of video game violence, to interviewing Tony Hawk about how his games have influenced skate culture.

One of the reasons I started Noclip was because I wanted to do something new. After years of filming my opinion and building a fan-base I wanted to use my newfound notoriety to elevate the voices of developers. To create a deeper understanding between the people who create games and the people who play them. I recognized that many of you, patrons and non-patrons alike, were hoping that I'd start a new version of The Point and so I hoped that you wouldn't mind me taking  my work in a new, exciting direction. You didn't, and I'm very grateful for that.

We've spent the past 18 months making docs about games. We uncovered the hidden stories about DOOM & FINAL FANTASY XIV. We dove into the design of The Witcher, Horizon Zero Dawn, Spelunky and plenty more. Noclip has been more successful then The Point ever was; accumulating millions of views, over 200k subscribers and consistently healthy Patreon funding. This will continue. We've got some massive projects lined up for 2018 and will be producing them at the same rate we did last year.

Now that this side of the business has been established and is operating well. It's time to make good on that promise I made all those months ago. To eventually bring back The Point with a super fresh coat of paint.

Here's the thing - when I started The Point there weren't that many opinion shows. But today, gaming analysis videos are some of the most popular on YouTube. Folks like Mark Brown, Superbunnyhop & Jim Sterling delight us with their insight on a regular basis. So it's not enough to simply create another opinion show. Like our Noclip documentaries, I want to break new ground in the way these are filmed, edited and produced. I wasn't sure if we should put them on a new channel, my personal YouTube or on the Noclip channel. And so much of my past six months have been spent trying to figure all of this out. Talking to YouTube, writing more, learning new editing techniques, watching other people's work and creating pilots.

So I'm delighted to say that after months of creatively tearing my hair out - I finally have it. 

This month we're going to launch the first episode of Noclip's new feature show "Bonus Level". It will live on the Noclip channel in a unique playlist and will be produced to the level of quality you are familiar with from our docs. The show will feature clips from our docs and use them as a launching point to talk about the ways in which games are evolving and how it effects our lives. We're going to produce them in the downtime between docs, so don't expect more than a half dozen this year. 

The Point was the show that made my career so I'm equal parts excited and terrified to take another swing at this style of content. We'll have the first episode up in the next few weeks (once we get back from filming Warframe) and $5 Patrons will get early access to new episodes. We're also going to keep a keen eye on how people react to them being on the Noclip channel. It's a bit of a shift in terms of what we usually post there, so I'm working very hard to ensure it's received well.

Thanks so much for everyone who has continued to keep us funded for the past 18 months. My hope is that this new style of content will drive even more folks to help fund the main pillar of our work - timeless documentaries about games and the people who play them. If you've held off until now, there's no better time to become part of the Noclip family.

TLDR; The Point is back. It's called Bonus Level. The first episode is coming this month.

I can't wait to share it with you all.

Thanks so much. Let us know what you think!

Danny & The Noclip Team