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📬 2TonWaffle Weekly - Gaming Chaos & Creator Economy Updates

This week was absolute gaming chaos! Nintendo Switch 2 launched at $500 with packaging drama, Twitch's affiliate system crashed from updates, and StreamElements hit more layoffs. Plus GOG's new one-click mods and PeerTube 7.2 improvements. Catch up on all the madness!

Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey

— 3 min read
📬 2TonWaffle Weekly - Gaming Chaos & Creator Economy Updates
Photo by davide ragusa / Unsplash

Your Monday morning catch-up on Last Stream Tonight's latest episode

Hey there, beautiful people! 👋

Holy moly, what a week it's been in the gaming world. If you missed Sunday's Last Stream Tonight, don't worry - I've got you covered with all the highlights from our latest episode. Seriously, trying to keep up with everything that happened this week was like drinking from a fire hose. Let's dive in!

🎮 This Week's Gaming Bombshells

Nintendo Switch 2: $500 and Staple Drama

The big news everyone's talking about - the Switch 2: Mario Kart World Bundle launched at $500. But here's the kicker: a GameStop store apparently stapling receipts to the console boxes, and those staples are punching through and damaging screens. I'm not making this up, folks. You spend 500 bucks and get vampire bite marks on your screen? Nintendo really needs to rethink their packaging game.

The Great Announcement Avalanche

Someone clearly didn't get the memo about spacing things out. This week we got hit with:

  • 🎪 Summer Game Fest (2+ hours of nonstop trailers)
  • 🎯 Day of the Devs (20+ indie games showcased) - The Verge has great coverage
  • 🎮 Xbox Showcase (ROG Xbox Ally announcements)
  • 🎭 PlayStation State of Play
  • 💻 PC Gamer Show

Honestly, this should have been spread across 2-3 weeks. My brain is still processing everything! Check out our full breakdown of the indie games at 2TonWaffle.com - I made sure to link directly to developers' channels instead of sending traffic to big media outlets.

💰 Creator Economy Shakeup

Twitch's Affiliate Program Goes Wonky

Twitch cut all affiliate requirements in half (good news!), but their backend completely crashed from the influx (bad news!). Industry reporter Zach Bussey perfectly captured the chaos: "Congrats to everyone who just became an affiliate, again... Twitch's systems are such a mess, they just sent this back out to seemingly everyone who's ever been an affiliate lol."

The new requirements:

  • ✅ 3 concurrent viewers over 4 days (was 30 days)
  • ✅ Stream 4+ days, 4+ hours (was 7 days, 8+ hours)
  • ✅ 25+ followers (was 50+)

But here's the catch: you can earn money but can't withdraw it until you're an affiliate. It's like the old company town model - you get paid in company script that you can only spend at the company store.

StreamElements Hit With More Layoffs

The creator tool ecosystem took another hit this week. StreamElements announced another round of layoffs, which were communicated to impacted employees early this week. This comes right after their recent launches of Twitch Sponsor Partnership, YouTube Shorts Sponsorships, and a new play/earn platform. It's concerning to see these infrastructure companies struggling.

Platform Wars Heat Up

Kick is making moves with better creator deals:

  • 95% subscription revenue share (vs Twitch's 50%)
  • No ads (for now)
  • $6-40/hour pay rates based on engagement
  • Free stream rewind (which Twitch just made a PAID feature 🤦‍♂️)

🔧 Tech Updates That Matter

PeerTube 7.2 Drops

Big improvements to video management - everything's now on one page instead of juggling multiple tabs! The update includes a new design for video management and publication pages, plus a reworked display and filter system for sensitive content. If you're running an instance, definitely update!

2TonWaffle Changes (Again!)

Yes, I'm switching forums again - moving from NodeBB to Invision Community. I know, I know... but it just feels right. Also migrating OwnCast to 2TonWaffle.live for better branding consistency.

🎯 The Good Guys Corner

Shoutout to GOG for their new one-click modding initiative! They just announced an amazing new system that makes installing popular mods like Horn of the Abyss for Heroes of Might and Magic 3 dead simple. While Nintendo is selling "physical" games that are just digital keys creating unnecessary waste, GOG is out here making classic games more accessible and preserving gaming history. They're the real MVPs.

🎧 What's Next?

Next Sunday (9:45 PM Eastern), we're back with another Last Stream Tonight episode. Hopefully the gaming industry will chill out with the announcements by then!

Where to catch us:

  • 📺 Live: Twitch, YouTube, Kick, OwnCast
  • 🎧 Audio: Your favorite podcast app
  • 💬 Community: 2TonWaffle.com forums

💭 Your Turn!

Did you snag a Switch 2? Are you dealing with staple damage? Thinking about trying Kick over Twitch? Hit reply and let me know - I read every single response!

Also, we're experimenting with Patreon and Ko-fi setups, plus our Fourth Wall store is live at 2TonWaffle.store if you want to support the show.

That's a wrap for this week's chaos!

Seriously though, this industry needs to learn about pacing. Cramming everything into one week is just overwhelming for everyone - creators, media, and fans alike. But hey, at least it gives us plenty to talk about!

Until next Sunday, keep streaming and stay awesome!

Josh
Your friendly neighborhood gaming & creator economy observer

P.S. - If anyone has insights on why gaming companies think announcement week should feel like Black Friday shopping, please enlighten me. My brain can only handle so much at once! 😅

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