Hey what's up, it's gootecks,

It's time I got real with you.

I agonized over whether I should write this email for months because it was a decision that not only affected me but involves you.

I realize that I haven’t been transparent with what’s been going on with Cross Counter and Excellent Adventures -- and it’s time I came clean. I owe you at least that much. This is a long email, so pull up a chair and your drink of choice, friend.

I want to give you an update on everything that’s going on...and not going on.

After eight years since Mike and I first put out the first episodes on YouTube, it’s time for Excellent Adventures to come to an end. There are two remaining episodes that need to be released (I guess technically three total since one needs to be redone). These will be added to the site as they are ready, starting this week. Later on they will go to YouTube.

I know this is probably not the news any of us wanted to read, and the decision to pull the plug tore me up inside, but I know in my heart’s of hearts that it’s for the best.

Before I go on, I want to thank YOU for your support all these years.

Seriously, it’s because of you that I was able to have some of the best and fun times of my life, and I’m so thankful to have shared these memories with you. We had a really good run, got to travel all over the world, made amazing friends along the way, and of course, had some super salty and hilarious moments. 😂

I would also like to thank each of the guests we've had throughout the years. Excellent Adventures would not have been what it was without every one of these fabulous people that graced our couch. There are far too many to list, but I want to sincerely thank them for taking the time to be a part of our journey and share in our shenanigans. ❤️

And of course, thank you to Capcom for putting out Street Fighter 4 and Street Fighter V.

This was a lot of fun and an unforgettable experience, but as they say, all good things must come to an end...to make room for the next thing (more on that below).

I'm sure you're wondering, “But why gootecks, why stop Excellent Adventures?”

This decision did not come easily, but there were many factors that led to it. Let’s start with the biggest one:

Mike Ross is gone, and I owe you an explanation.

First, there's no drama, no hard feelings. Simply put, Mike decided that he didn't want to do FGC stuff anymore as a whole, and so we parted ways and I wished him the best. He's doing his thing, and I'm sure he knows that we'll always remember the good times. I won’t get into all the details here, but if you’re curious, you can look up his public statements on Google.

Then in the months following Mike's departure, Steve, our long-time producer and editor, also decided to pursue law school. I definitely think it was the right move, and I wished him the best. No hard feelings with him either. (Steve, if you’re reading this, thank you for always being the voice of reason and helping to keep the ship afloat for so long. If it were up to only me and Mike, we would have crashed the entire thing on so many occasions. 😂)

And I wouldn’t forget Ian. Many thanks to Ian because he was a huge factor in our early success, as he took over production duties and did a fantastic job when Steve needed an extended hiatus. In truth, we could not have done it without you both. <3

For those of you that no longer wish to follow what I'm doing, I totally understand and appreciate you sticking around long enough to see this message, which brings me to this:

This is not the end of gootecks or Cross Counter.

Aside from the apocalypse and the internet burning down, I won’t be stopped that easily. I’m a Phoenix Cockroach! (inside joke, you wouldn’t understand)

The other reason, as you can probably guess, is that things are different now.

I believe that every good company and creative work has to change and evolve. It’s not always pleasant. But when things get stale, I can tell. You can too, I’m sure, and you deserve better. The last couple sets of episodes with Justin Wong in the Vegas house were a blast to film, but I don't feel comfortable in my ability to properly capture the fun moments. I think part of that is because so much time passed between when the show was active and when we brought it back that I feel like the landscape has changed.

This is starting to sound like a breakup letter now, lol.

I don’t feel the same passion as I did when I first started Excellent Adventure. Rather, what I am passionate about now is to extract all of the experience and knowledge I've accumulated through fighting games and put it into some tangible format that other people can benefit from, both for in-game and out of game subjects.

So what does that mean?

Well it means that with Excellent Adventures coming to an end, I'm freed up to work on other projects that I've been focusing on, and so for the first time I wanted to let you guys know what's coming down the pipe.

What’s next for gootecks!

Since the beginning of 2019, I've been working on livestreaming discussion-style podcasts on Twitch. Yes, podcasts!

For those that aren't aware, producing and hosting podcasts was one of the first types of web content that I did a thousand years ago (2007-2010 or so) in an era where people thought you needed to own an iPod to listen to podcasts. (Yes, I am aware I am an internet fossil.)

But now I’m taking this to Twitch.

I think that YouTube as a platform has peaked, not saying that it won't always be there, just that I don't really feel that there are too many ways to grow on the platform, both as a person and financially. But most of all, Twitch has the better experience for you, and I can have a lot more fun interacting with you (PogChamp).

I think the way things are likely to go is that the archives of each podcast will be put onto iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, and of course, the crosscounter.tv subscription site. So now let's talk about that.

Existing subscribers will no longer be charged for an excellentadventures.tv subscription but will still have access through the end of March. They will continue to live on YouTube. If you have any questions or issues about this, please email support@pivotshare.com.

The plan is to continue to do content, but there will be a lot of experimentation! A few new exciting things:

The Untitled Esports Show with Zorine and Slasher, where we talk about what’s going on in the world of esports.

The Content Collective, where me and a guest talk about the ins and outs of creating content.

I’ll dive more into each of those ideas.

"But gootecks,” you might say, “esports destroyed Mike Ross and you're part of the Anti E.S.P.O.R.T.S. Esports Club, why do you want to talk about esports?”

Well, to get a little nerdy, I still think the subject from a business perspective is fascinating. Although I don't agree with everything that's going on in esports, that's no reason that I shouldn't carefully analyze what's going on in the whole space that I am in whether I like it or not. That would be foolish.

So the Untitled Esports Show is a way for me to connect with two old friends on a regular basis and talk about what's going on and keep each other updated with what's going on in our respective esports worlds. Check it out. Here’s a link to the latest episode, so let me know what you think.

The Content Collective is a show about creating content that's intended to be useful and interesting for other content creators like myself. I've only done a handful of episodes so far, but I think it can be a good outlet for me to empty a lot of the content experience I've developed over the years out of my brain which would likely be helpful to people that are looking to get started in web content such as streaming, YouTube videos, ebooks, etc. If that sounds like you, then you DON’T want to miss the first couple episodes.

If none of this sounds like your jam and you’re not interested in hearing old man gootecks talk about anything that's not directly Street Fighter-related -- that's fine, my feelings aren't hurt.

But I also know that there are people out there (maybe you?) who would find this stuff way more interesting than anything related to the technical elements of fighting games. And though I know there are far less of you out there, you are the ones I'm trying to reach.

I spent a long time trying to build a big audience, but now I'm happy and content with having a smaller, more focused audience that is interested in growing along with me (and I would be absolutely honored if you decided to join me along for the bumpy ride).

It's been such a long and fulfilling journey, and I truly think that this is the beginning of a new and equally fulfilling era.

It's important to say goodbye to the old phase with respect and look forward to the new with an open mind and excitement.

Thank you to everyone that has been a part of this Excellent Adventure!

There will soon be more to come. Thanks again for sticking around this long, I appreciate you!