EA Bricks Playstation 4s?? - WAN Show Mar 8, 2019

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode mixes business updates, personal milestones, product experimentation, and tech news. The hosts discuss a successful but over-budget liquid-cooled network switch project done to practice custom water-cooling, then pivot to company culture, growth, hiring, Floatplane improvements, LTX ticket demand, and future content plans like a deeper-dive TechLinked format. They also cover the Anthem/PS4 shutdown bug and a Steam controversy over a rape-themed game.

Main Topics: Liquid-cooled network switch project (Priority: 5/5): The team built a custom water-cooled 10Gb switch to practice techniques for a future liquid-cooled RED 8K camera. The project was expensive, time-consuming, and pushed video production behind schedule, but was considered a major success and also helped reduce noise in the camera den. Business philosophy and company growth (Priority: 5/5): The discussion turns into a reflection on how the company evolved from a small team in the Langley house to nearly 30 people. The speakers emphasize keeping control, avoiding outside investors, prioritizing creative freedom, and making decisions that support long-term vision rather than short-term monetization. Personal milestones and housing goal (Priority: 4/5): The host shares that a long-term personal goal has been achieved: nearly everyone who worked out of the original house is now a homeowner, with one exception. This is framed as a meaningful measure of success beyond revenue or scale. Floatplane and internal platform improvements (Priority: 4/5): The conversation highlights ongoing infrastructure work, including improved upload/transcode systems, open-sourcing the app, upcoming search features, and broader front-end improvements. The hosts also note Floatplane’s growing reputation among creators and the potential for onboarding non-tech creators. LTX event sales and expansion (Priority: 4/5): LTX ticket sales are going quickly, with VIP and BYOC seats selling out, and the team is considering more seating. The event is positioned as a DreamHack-powered collaboration with potential to grow into a larger recurring convention in Vancouver. Tech news: Anthem bug and Steam’s content policy (Priority: 4/5): The show covers reports that Anthem may be causing PS4 shutdowns and even apparent bricking, though BioWare says it has not verified true bricking. Separately, they debate Steam’s decision to remove a rape-themed visual novel, arguing that private platforms can set their own standards. Future content experiments (Priority: 3/5): The hosts brainstorm a deeper, more analytical TechLinked offshoot called ‘R8 bits,’ structured around multiple sources and viewpoints. They also preview a heavily reworked Scrapyard Wars season with 3v3 teams and more complex constraints.

Key Arguments: Creative, unusual engineering projects are worth the time and cost because they build expertise and produce standout content. A business can be profitable without outside investment if control and mission matter more than maximizing scale or pleasing shareholders. Growing the company has changed the founder’s role from directing everything to supporting talented people’s ambitions. Many viewer-facing decisions are guided by a simple rule: if the hosts would hate it as viewers, they try not to do it as creators. Steam, as a private platform, is allowed to reject content even when it is technically legal. The company’s success is tied to maintaining trust with creators and staying independent from large platforms like Google or Amazon. LTX and Floatplane are both scaling because demand and product momentum are stronger than expected. A deeper-dive tech format could cover complex topics more fairly by using multiple sources and viewpoints rather than rapid-fire news coverage.

Data Points: LTT videos planned vs completed: 7 planned, 4 completed - The liquid-cooled switch project pushed the week behind schedule Network switch ports: 96 ports of 10Gb + 12 ports of 40Gb - The Dell switches being kept in-house are described as a major networking investment Switch cost: About $8,000 for two switches - Used to justify sticking with the Dell switching platform Temperature reduction: 10 to 25 degrees - Observed cooling improvement after installing the liquid-cooling setup Team size: Close to 30 - Current company size compared to the Langley-house era Original house team size: 8 or 9 people - Peak staffing while working out of the Langley house Homeownership goal: All employees except Nick Van Birkel now own homes - A long-term personal milestone the host says was achieved LTX guided office tours: 250 sold out - Tickets sold out quickly after launch LTX VIP tickets: Sold out in about the first minute - Demand for premium passes was extremely high LTX BYOC seats: 500 sold out - All available bring-your-own-computer seats were claimed LTX two-day passes: Around 1,800 sold - More than half of convention tickets were already sold Ticket price increase: About 20% per wave - Future LTX ticket releases will be more expensive Next LTX ticket waves: April 20 and July 1 - Dates announced for additional ticket releases Floatplane device limit: 5 devices - PIA sponsor mention, not central to the discussion Steam game issue: Rape Day removed - Steam rejected the visual novel after public backlash

Pivotal Quotes: "If we can't do those kinds of things, then why even bother anymore?" — Speaker 1: Explaining why the team chose a difficult custom liquid-cooling project despite schedule overruns "I don't want to be a shareholder meeting and explain my rationale." — Speaker 1: Arguing against outside investment and for maintaining creative/business control "If you hate it as a viewer, you don't do it." — Speaker 2: Describing the content-creation rule used to guide sponsor placement and format decisions

Implications: The episode signals continued expansion without losing independence, more ambitious engineering/content experiments, and a maturing creator business. It also suggests Floatplane and LTX are entering growth phases, while the hosts remain comfortable making platform and editorial calls on their own terms.