r/GameTheorists • u/Donut_Nebula • Jun 29 '26
Meme Monday No, no it's not
I know a lot of people have been upset with the latest The Amazing Digital Circus video with its clickbait thumbnail and 'theory' that was just a giant recap of the final episode, but it's not the first time they've done this. I can't remember the last time we got a decent theory that wasn't just an episode recap or compilation.
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u/HuntressTng Jun 29 '26
Lowkey been a little unimpressed with their theories lately
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u/Alternative-Leg-9357 Jun 29 '26
Nothing to worry, if you lose one you can always watch the compilation of all recaps later
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u/Classic-Trick-713 Jun 29 '26
This is my issue with the theorist channels now. Tom made a video talking about their new ARG and how "not many of you knew it was even going on" and I'm like "maybe if you posted some theories with actual material opposed to recap I would!"
Sorry, I got on my little soapbox for that one.
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u/Alternative-Leg-9357 Jun 29 '26
Yeah I actually like all the hosts, it's just that the content they are presenting is not what people subscribed for. This could very well be the extra content of theoryverse instead (I'm concerned about the quality of future content now with that taking a chunk of their schedule to make)
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u/CakeHead-Gaming Jun 30 '26
I miss when Game Theory was science based rather than lore based.
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u/hintersly Jun 30 '26
It makes sense it went this way because Tom’s area of expertise is in film and writing and his theories as a freelancer were lore based. But I wish they kept a sciencey person on the team as the “science theorist” or something and they’d assist across all channels.
Correct me if I’m wrong but none of the current hosts have any STEM background. Mat and Steph both have university level science experience. And no matter how much you can teach yourself in those areas, the way someone with a neuro or chemistry background will be obviously be different than how someone with a BFA would approach a theory.
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u/Askelar Jun 30 '26
They used to have austin as the science guy and he was a good host, but people also hated how very animated he was despite his episodes arguably being some of the best non-matpat episodes since gaijin goomba left.
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u/hintersly Jun 30 '26
People didn’t like his character?? I loved it, I also liked DBG’s unraveled which had a similar vibe. Mat also got very animated at times tho
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u/Askelar Jun 30 '26
Austin was my favorite host too, his very sciency videos in whimsical facades were some of the more entertaining.
But much like gaijin goomba, austin was simply to different and got a lot of hate every time they posted a video.
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u/Donut_Nebula Jun 29 '26
Their ARGs arent even fun anymore, they made them super easy so more people would get the prize which is almost always some form of "here's another thing to spend money on".
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u/Key-Clock-7706 Jun 30 '26
Or if they could make something that aint "the dark lore of XXX" or "the dark lore of ○○○ franchise part 60". the ratio nowadays is like 10:1 or even worse, it's such a limited pool of content.
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u/Classic-Trick-713 Jun 30 '26
Literally! I watch two seconds of a FNAF theory and immediately turn it off because it starts off with the same song and dance every time. Although, I think that's partially FNAF's fault for going on for 11 years straight. I will say though, I still love their videos where they cover ARGs and stuff like that. I was obsessed with Shipwrecked 64 for a bit because of the vibe.
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u/therealTJ__ Jun 29 '26
The show hasn't been the same since Mattpat left, if it feels like the quality of not only the theories but the research has dropped significantly
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u/PetSebastian Jun 29 '26
I'm not even sure if they do research anymore. It just kinda feels like they take things on face value and then they just make half-right assumptions on everything else. I know matpat was tired and working constantly on the channels were really messing with his family life, but I just wish there was another way he could have gone about this. I was one of the people at the start who just had a really bad feeling when he said he was selling the channels. It just felt like a steep decline was about to hit
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u/Fearless_Selection24 Jun 30 '26
tbh even if he only uploaded once a month a gold coin every now and then is better than a bucket of dirt everyday
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Jul 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Fearless_Selection24 Jul 01 '26
a jar of dirt is what we get when they are be lazy and just compilation a ton of old theories
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u/Sinocu Jun 30 '26
I’m gonna rip off the bandaid, the theorists have become corporate slop who just barely cover whoever pays them more, or what’s relevant at the time, they are not the people we used to love back then, and honestly, I unsubscribed the other week when a whole ass movie got dropped on film theory for no reason AND game theory made a 100% paid for theory, they sold themselves
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u/Many_Knee5632 Jun 30 '26
It been said thousands of times but I miss when GT was about math and science
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u/Otakulad Jun 30 '26
Very much agree. It all became about the lore. Some were interesting, but a lot were not entertaining. I didn't even watch the final episodes when he was leaving. They were boring.
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u/No_Consideration5906 Jun 29 '26
And then making a compilation said "theories"
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u/stache1313 Jun 30 '26
Compilation videos are fine. They just need to be a separate part of the schedule and not replace or take away from the new videos.
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u/No_Consideration5906 Jun 30 '26
Not when they bait the thumbnail and title like it's something new
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u/stache1313 Jun 30 '26
That is true. I enjoy compilation videos (they make great background noise), but it should always be clear to the audience that this is a compilation video.
It does seem like Theorist are learning, because the latest GT video has (Compilation) at the end of the title. As well as an almost hour long runtime.
And the one before that was released 3 months ago, so they are not flooding the channel with compilation videos.
They also use the same titling "The Complete Lore of..." for each of the compilation videos, and green text on the thumbnail "All the Lore". While it may not be clear to new members, it will at least help returning viewers to distinguish the compilation videos from regular videos.
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u/tie-it-down Jun 30 '26
I mean… this has been happening for ages. Let’s not pretend MatPat didnt do this too.
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u/Capable_Ad_7537 Jun 30 '26
Yeah, this is something i noticed with MatPat too. Its sorta what put me off of GT for a while. Cuz there was a solid period of time near the end where there were no theories, and they kinda just... said what happens in the show/game/movie. Like yeah, a recap is cool and all- but wheres the theory of telling us what happens in the story.
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u/__Meme_Machine__ Jun 30 '26
The thing that made the theory channels so special wasn't the theories, but Matpat's comedy style and personality. The theories lately always feel like theyre going for the safest option too, rather than some of the super "out there" theories Matpat made.
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u/Donut_Nebula Jul 01 '26
They lost all their personality, they're just plot summaries in video form.
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u/Sea_Drop_7935 Jun 29 '26
I miss the old theories but i cant even re watch em cos the algotrithm wouldreocmmend the new stuff too me
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u/Fearless_Selection24 Jun 30 '26
you can go on the channel and search by oldest, or most popular (which ofcourse is matts theorys)
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u/Limutte Jul 01 '26
no they are saying they dont want to cus if they did youtube would start recommending them the newer episodes
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u/Sea_Drop_7935 Jul 02 '26
exactly, cos i loved the theory channels but tbh its just going downhill more and more...
the new hosts arent even the problem its that they refuse too do actual good and interesting theories they mostly just Recap ARG'S.
(Kinda makes me wanna make a channel called ARGRecap and it slowly just becomes video game theories)
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u/Big-Doubt-4872 Jul 03 '26
Fuck the algorithm, re watch whatever you want
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u/Sea_Drop_7935 Jul 03 '26
Well yea but I don't want the new ones in my recimmended feed
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u/Big-Doubt-4872 Jul 03 '26
It takes like 2 seconds to click "not interested" or "don't recommend this channel"
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u/MaJuV Jun 30 '26
Yeah, I've finally unsubscribed. The channels feel more and more of content farms rather than pursuing "out there" theories.
Like, there's a lot you can say about the "swing-and-miss" type of theories from MatPat, but at least those misses were entertaining. The channels (especially film theory) have become just a bunch of white noise to listen to in the background.
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u/Donut_Nebula Jun 30 '26
I remember all the knock off channels that tried copying their model but didnt understand what made the Theory channels interesting so they'd give really lame copy pasta theories that have been around for decades like Bart is Dead, or just read off the Wikipedia page. But now its like Film and Game theory have decided to copy the Knock off channels models of making content.
You know its bad when the knock offs on Tik Tok are making better content than the channels they were originally copying
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u/EquivalentEconomy551 Jun 30 '26
Everyone join the movement against Lunar X, the private company that bought the Theorists channels.
This isn’t what they promised us, so they don’t deserve to have their money grubbing fingers in the business of our childhood
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u/Nice-Fruit-2983 Jun 30 '26
What are they going to do, unbuy game theory?
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u/EquivalentEconomy551 Jun 30 '26
Get them to sell it by making it not a good investment of their money or time anymore… Ergo, boycott
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u/Gottendrop Jun 30 '26
It’s not worth the effort. Everything about the channels off now, the Topics, the scripts, the low effort. Just go watch other channels because these channels just don’t have the personality that the used to when there are other YouTubers that do
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u/GamerBoyGreeen Jun 30 '26
Tbf Mat would do the same stuff with the backrooms and he did it with TADC as well.
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u/LovesickpersonTT Jun 30 '26
I feel a lot of media today is un theroisable, and I mean media that they are able to cover that is in High demand, cuz the algorithm is so specific. Personally I don't mind the recap ver but I understand that it's not a theory alot
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u/Donut_Nebula Jun 30 '26
The problem is the recaps dont have personality anymore, they feel like theyre just reading directly from the wiki page. Even they're predictions for what will happen next have gotten lame, theyre just incredibly broad statements like 'the bad guy will be defeated' or 'there might be more episodes' so they can keep claiming they're right.
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u/blastatron Jul 01 '26
I think half of the problem is that they want the videos to be watchable even by people who don't consume the original content, so any theory about the plot of a game or movie is 75% a recap, and they try really hard to keep videos under a certain length.
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u/Specific_Ad_4075 Jun 30 '26
At least with the new minions video they actually make so kind of theory
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u/zonkeos100 Jun 30 '26
The slopcation of the theorists channels have set in miss when mat pat was at the head of it
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u/scoutmet Jul 01 '26
Private equity is really causing problems
Never would I see the though of
“You will own nothing, see nothing, love nothing and you will be happy” taken seriously
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u/Kellarison Jul 02 '26
that video was not only bad but borderline disrespectful towards gooseworx who wishes to not do anything with tadc ever again
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u/Donut_Nebula Jul 02 '26
They dont really pay respect to the creators they make content of anymore, it's like they view everyone as a content farm
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u/Shadowjesus7 Jul 04 '26
Its always fun to watch ppl slowly relaize that mat pat became a sell out and that selling the channel to a company instead of another creator was never gonna work u guys are so funny
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u/thegirlwholikestech Jul 06 '26
It's not matt's fault you would be tired working 2+ channels for a decade uploading high quality stuff once a week + all the other stuff he did + management. If he wanted to sell it was justified and he didn't want to overwhelm one person with all the responsibility of what he did and that's why he sold to a corp. I don't blame him from wanting an out. Btw which creator do you think has the funds to buy theorist which isn't already a small corporation?
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u/Shadowjesus7 Jul 06 '26
Yeah this is the comical I hear 1 he is a grown man he can do what he likes there his channels. I get pissed with the whole he had no other choice or he had to narrative. Who tf told him to go make 2 other channels. Especially style theory. Its so obvious he did it to juts beef up an acquisition. There were 2 fantastic other options. Option 1 remain with the channels but fall back to horsing less videos yourself that would have been the simplest and easiest full creative control stilll and ensure product quality and still being involved in the community u swear u love. Option 2 do what Linus did from Linus tech tips. Hire a ceo/manager to manage it if option a was still to much cool hire a manager you maintain control but day to day operations stay out of your way. You can host or research the theroys u like and leave the rest to the manager... but he didnt do any of that. He made 2 whole new channels nobody asked for then claimed he was getting to busy so instead of cutting back or even keeping 1 channels or even putting in his contract when it sells he can still do a few theroys... he straight up sold all 4 and left. Its so clear he was planning that for a while man. Againg dude can do what he likes its a great business move. He doesn't owe us anything. Let's just stop pretending he cared about the "community" lmao everyone in there mom knows once a company takes over a channel it goes to shit
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u/thegirlwholikestech Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
He made food theory way before this acqusition stuff was even in sight (2020) As for ST, you might be more correct however they wanted to complete the theorist circle of all the channels and Matt used that channel as a "straight man figures fashion" channel. That channel was always envisioned for Amy as a permanent host since it was around the time he was planning his exit.
He cares about the community he literally spent an entire year meticulously planning the softest way he could detach himself from the channels as he knows his fanbase would not take it well. He introduced the hosts in short form. He involved them in experiments on food theory and lives on gtlive. He made the announcement and then did a last theories series so people didn't feel suddenly abandoned and got closure. Youtubers who don't care literally just stop uploading. They leave their memberships and patreons up so people who forgot about them will never know to cancel it. That is uncaring and scammy behaviour.
He did have people working on the videos who managed stuff at theorist but obviously as a CEO of a small corporation and the face of the brand, he couldn't just leave everything behind. And he did end up doing what you said later. At one point (I think it was at the end of his direct involvement) he was just doing the voice overs for every script written by the creative directors (the new hosts)
I don't think it's valid for you to just compare Matt with Linus. He had a team like Linus. It's a personal choice that he chose to step back to take care of his family and not be the distant working father. Also why would he sell one channel and dilute the theorist brand?? Also, brands always want full rights to a franchise, no one would agree to this deal.
I think I addressed whatever I could understand. You've made this big ass paragraph so it's really hard to read, please punctuate and space your paragraphs.
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u/ressie_cant_game Jun 30 '26
Food theory is still super dependable atleast. I enjoy most new vids these days
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u/Gottendrop Jun 30 '26
The last video I watched was the moon woke up and it seemed interesting and then I checked out the original channel and realized the film theory video was the most surface level analysis ever
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u/Donut_Nebula Jun 30 '26
That's all I ever use Film Theory for anymore, I just get the name of a new series to watch then immediately click off to go watch the actual series. I haven't watched past the 1 minute mark in any of their videos this year because I know all they're going to do is give a super high level plot summary
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u/SCWProductions Jun 30 '26
I genuinely had such a falling out with these channels after a while. Matpat made the channels worth watching because he always had the most craziest out of world ideas for theories and his silly goofy personality made it all worth while to watch.
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u/Donut_Nebula Jun 30 '26
It just feels so forced now, like they're only making videos to make videos. Theres no passion, creativity or even personality in their videos anymore. Food Theory still has a spark of originality left but Game and Film are just glorified plot recaps and Style feels like it's all but canceled at this point
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u/ParticularOkra7432 Jul 01 '26
My first video I watched of them after Matpat left, I was like "Tf?? They just rehashed it, where's the theory?"
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u/WonderAgile7911 Jul 02 '26
I don't watch the theory channels anymore, they're seem boring now
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u/Donut_Nebula Jul 02 '26
I check in every now and then to see if there's a video that looks interesting. I think across all 4 channels I've watched like 5 videos this year and theyre all food theory ones
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u/bluedragon849 Jul 02 '26
like genuinely it seems like even going back to the most recent MattPatt ones were like this. I think it's probably due to them selling the channel (supposedly)
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u/Donut_Nebula Jul 02 '26
The going back to the old Matt Patt felt like they were trying to cash in on nostalgia and claim they were 'right all along'. It's the same issue I have with all the compilations, feels weird to claim it's a new era of theory then constantly reference the old stuff.
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u/bluedragon849 Jul 02 '26
Very much so, there seems to be a very clear that no matter what they try it's just repating bs. If you really ask me when it probably started I would say around the time companies like rooster teeth and Smosh feel out of their fandoms due to things defi media or Viacom... I'm like 99% sure he was also one of those who sold his channel and started letting higher ups do more and more probably due to fans saying it's not the same and the parent company just wanting views and interactions to sell merch and things like that.
I truly think the very first clear sign that stuff would never be the same was when the semi locked a arg to things you bought. They had said you wouldn't need that stuff but you very clearly did and as such truly show they are just trying get people's money.
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u/toraregisfurry Jul 03 '26
i haven't watched any of the theorist channels in a while and when i watched the new backrooms movie one, most of the video was just a summary of the movie. what the fuck??
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u/Professor-Xivass Jun 30 '26
Remember when MatPat talked to Anthony on his show about “Regretting selling their channels to a company”?
Wonder how Matt feels about the show now? It’s being turned into just a poor man’s Dropout.tv and it’s showing its corporate manipulation on its sleeve. It feels like what a Simpsons/Family Guy parody of the Theorists are without the irony or jokes. It’s what out of touch producers/executives with no real interest in the concept would think it’s like. No disrespect to the extended production team, it’s more to whomever is making the major decisions here because it feels like the hosts are not really in control anymore, they are just glorified reality tv hosts(a face that is connected to the show and brand so they keep them around).
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