Felicia Day's "The Guild" signs exclusive deal with Microsoft
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 24th 2008 at 9:00AM
This is interesting -- we at WoW Insider are big fans of Felicia Day's "The Guild" webseries, which will now be shown exclusively via Microsoft apparently. They've announced that the second season of the popular series will premiere exclusively on Xbox Marketplace, MSN, and the Zune marketplace, and will apparently be released for free (with Sprint as an ad sponsor).Very interesting. Formerly, The Guild posted their episodes on YouTube, which not only let browsers there find them easily, but let sites like this one embed and spread the word about the series. But while MSN has a video site, it's not immediately clear that they'll allow embedding -- it may not be so easy to spread around/watch episodes if The Guild is no longer uploading to YouTube and other video sharers. The Guild will have an embedded MSN player on their currently-being-redesigned site (complete with ads), but we're not sure whether we'll be able to embed it any more or not.
We will, however, find out the whole story on the new season (which will apparently include a holiday special) this week when we talk to Felicia Day herself on a special episode of our podcast, the WoW Insider Show. Look for that by next weekend, and keep an eye on the site on Tuesday -- even if we can't embed the new episode, we'll be sure to let you know where you can see it.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, Fan stuff, Guilds, Odds and ends, Humor
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Moketronics Nov 24th 2008 9:09AM
Well I suppose everyone needs to get paid sometimes. On that note its nice to see that a bunch of people can get together to do something like this and actually see it go somewhere other then sucking up their free time eventually if they want to see it keep going.
Sorta like how counter-strike started out as a mod and eventually became a commercial game in its own right.
duke.geren Nov 24th 2008 9:18AM
Paid is one thing. Selling out and selling your soul to the devil at the same time is something else entirely.
Guess The Guild has jumped the Shark. Yawn.
Izzy Nov 24th 2008 10:07AM
Yep sold their soul to The Great Satan, M$. But everyone deserves to make a buck, best of luck to her. Without embedding, I won't be watching anymore :-(
naikrovek Nov 24th 2008 6:58PM
this "Microsoft is the devil" crap has to stop. There is not a more ignorant comment on the web. Microsoft isn't a single entity. Microsoft is a collection of people, just like you or me, and that's it. Sometimes microsoft does things we don't agree with. Sometimes Blizzard does things we don't agree with. Sometimes anybody does things anybody else doesn't agree with. Doesn't make them a devil.
Grow the hell up and start making intelligent comments or get off the computer and back onto your tricycle.
Plastic Rat Nov 24th 2008 10:32PM
Finding it hard to disagree with you.
Microsoft as a company may be just another company, but their business practices and ethics generally leave a lot to be desired.
They'll do anything they can to cut other people out, no matter how much it hurts their customers.
They may not be the devil, but with Microsoft you're never more aware that you are simply a source of income to them and nothing more. Everything they do seem to touch turns to watered-down, over commercialized crap in the end.
I'm glad to see these guys get paid, but really wish it was with any company besides M$.
Squishy Nov 25th 2008 12:53AM
Um, M$ *IS* the devil. Embrace. Extend. Extinguish. They've smothered innovation. They've sold tons of crap like Office 2007 and Vista. They had a kick-ass OS and they dumped it to give us the crappy Win32 API. Learn a little bit about reality before you go propping M$.
the awesome Nov 26th 2008 10:11PM
"Guess The Guild has jumped the Shark."
Seriously?
SERIOUSLY?
I can understand that you might not like Microsoft and for some reason feel disappointed that The Guild has made a deal with them but please, somehow, explain how this is "jumping the shark."
This has nothing to do with "jumping the shark."
Just because a show you enjoy doesn't something you don't like doesn't mean that they're "jumping the shark."
I'm asking you as an intelligent human being that enjoys several television shows, please forget about all this shark jumping. If a show does something you don't like just say "I didn't like that." or "That was disappointing." but let's leave the shark jumping to people that know what they're talking about. Because this has absolutely NOTHING to do with a shark.
Epiphanize Nov 24th 2008 9:19AM
Fan of the show, not a fan of this move.
Vendrill Nov 24th 2008 9:21AM
Ugh. Well, I guess there's other crap to watch on youtube instead.
Ew, Microsoft. Talk about a deal with the devil.
offday Nov 24th 2008 9:24AM
They're making some money. Before they weren't. Shut up with the sell out crap. I guarantee all of you would do the exact same thing.
duke.geren Nov 24th 2008 11:09AM
No, you can't guarantee that. Thanks for playing though.
offday Nov 24th 2008 11:23AM
So you would say no to the "evil corporation" who is willing to pay you, and probably big bucks, and instead continue to shell out your own money, while making little to no profit, just to make a few little peons happy.
You're either lying for the sake of trying to look cool and win an online argument, or you're a huge moron.
svenhoek Nov 24th 2008 11:49AM
Thank you offday, i think you won that argument. We should be directing our anger at MS for making it "exclusive" not at the people making it trying to, and I know this is a sin to the 3l337, make a decent living.
duke.geren Nov 24th 2008 2:45PM
Um, no. I said that you couldn't guarantee that every person given the same set of circumstances would make the same decision.
And neither did I say what I would do in the same situation. However you go on ahead and tell me what I would or wouldn't do, what I am attemtping to acheive by doing it and then call me names. Boy I sure got pwned.
Troll.
offday Nov 24th 2008 3:31PM
I didn't say that EVERY person would make the same decision. I said all of you, meaning you and the two or three other trolls calling "sell out".
But what the heck. Let's go ahead and add reading to your ever growing list of impressive personal traits.
duke.geren Nov 24th 2008 4:52PM
offday said...
I guarantee all of you would do the exact same thing.
all - adj.
1. Being or representing the entire or total number, amount, or quantity: All the windows are open. Deal all the cards. See Synonyms at whole.
offday Nov 24th 2008 5:28PM
It amazes me how you even quoted me word for word, yet still decided to ignore that little part after all.
all OF YOU. You got the all part right. Good job. Now there's of - meaning inclusion in a number, class, or whole. And then you - the pronoun of the second person singular or plural, used of the person or persons being addressed, in the nominative or objective case. That person, or in this case persons, that are being addressed in this situation are yourself, and the other trolls who called the guild a sell out.
And finally we have, All of you. Say it with me now.
All of you.
All of you.
ALL OF YOU.
steve Nov 24th 2008 9:42AM
"The guild" is boring as hell.
/Agree with duke.geren
tresser Nov 24th 2008 9:28AM
another one bites the dust.
Mihn Nov 24th 2008 9:28AM
I guess from the comments posted here that the people who give us this great production aren't allowed to eat or have nice things.
I wonder how many complaining that they "sold out" or made a deal with the "devil" have ever given them money.
Relying on the kindness of strangers in the subscription model is a hit or miss thing. I would have gone with the sure thing cause I like food and shelter.