EZX Digital/2022

**EZX 2022**, also stylized as **EZX '22**, is the six-year anniversary celebration of Easy Allies and the third annual EZX event.

## History & Announcements

In early March 2022, Easy Allies announced **EZX 2022**, their six-year anniversary weeklong celebration and the third annual EZX event. The event kicked off on March 21 and was the first EZX to take place in The Studio. Planned events included an EZA fundraiser with fundraising goals and numerous announcements and surprises. They revealed the full scope of changes in the Phase Infinity announcement.

### Brandon Jones is Retiring

Among them was the announcement that Brandon Jones was retiring from Easy Allies and games journalism.  Brandon Jones announced on March 21, 2022 during EZX 2022 that he was retiring from Easy Allies and games journalism on May 1, 2022. He cited personal reasons, mentioning plans to be a stay-at-home Dad, maybe do some voiceover, and maybe write a book. He also stated that it would be nearly two decades since the birth of GameTrailers and his start in games journalism and he felt it was time to move on. For Easy Allies content, he mentioned being on one more Easy Allies Podcast episode, one more Community Showcase, and try to be on as many streams as he can. He made this decision in July 2021 and will have more details in the coming weeks. Among them was stating he would be available for Easy Allies voiceover as needed.

### Rebranding and Business Updates

A rebrand of Easy Allies was also launched on March 21 with a new logo and colors while also staying close to the original identity. Bloodworth and Isla were also announced as the new co-heads of Easy Allies to help steer the ship and create a more solidified structure to navigate the business a little quicker. Damiani and Brad are taking the lead on streaming with more fun ideas, betting, and interaction planned with Chat. Ben is also joining Bloodworth in copy editing reviews. YouTube thumbnails, titles, Patreon, and Twitch are also getting updated looks along with expanded social media presence, new Twitch emotes, stream alerts, and updates to the EasyAllies.com website. A community manager is also being hired.

With Bloodworth also as the permanent host of the Easy Allies Podcast, additional changes are being made to the format. Among them are getting rid of the set rotation of Allies and bringing in specific Allies most qualified to discuss certain stories and picking topics more tailored to the panel's interests. The review format was also slightly changing with tests having review writers do their own VO and do a more personal voice in reviews rather than the editorial "We" that has been done in the past.

### Changes to Reviews

In addition to Ben joining the review copy editing team, he will also be editing some of his own reviews to make them more distinct. They also revealed plans to explore having reviewers do their own VO and using a more personalized writing and voice in select reviews rather than the editorial "We" used previously. However, Brandon will still be called upon to do voiceover when needed.

### Patreon Goals Return

Patreon goals were also brought back with goals set at $35k, $40k, and $45k. The $35k goal is called *Easy Allies Engaged* and is part of a new series of streams called Hang Out Streams. Starting on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11AM PT, one of the Allies will hang out with the community to discuss news, trailer reactions, and just having a relaxed time with the community. If the goal is reached, the streams will occur every weekday. The $40k goal is called *Easy Allies Endures* and is the amount of money to comfortably continue Easy Allies operations. If this goal is reached, there will be a big marathon stream, but the goal is more about meeting day to day needs. The $45k goal is *Easy Allies Enhanced* and is the party tier. Incentives include quarterly parties, tournaments, more diverse content, hiring freelancers, and more post shows.

### Patreon Reward Tier Changes

Patreon reward tiers were also overhauled with future-exclusive shows being moved to the $5 and up tier while also gaining access to a Patron-only Discord server that the community manager will help manage. Tiermaker was also moving from monthly to quarterly while the Patron Q&A was being retired at the $20 and up tier in favor of Behind the Scenes. This gives Patrons a look at live tapings of their show and podcasts. The $50 and up digital fan mail tier is also expanding to include special physical gifts that includes things like fun and weird art from artists within the community. Blood Pact is being retired at the $60 and up tier but in its place is the Golden Voice tier where Patrons can have Brandon Jones read just about anything within reason, similar to a Cameo. The $200 and up DnD tier was also being retired and transformed into a private gaming session with the Allies. An additional $500 and up Everthing\* Producer tier is also being introduced where producer credits are attached to almost every piece of Easy Allies produced content. The $1000 Goddess tier is a step above that except they get their own name card in sparkly letters and they also receive doodles from the Allies every month.

### Fundraising Goals

Easy Allies held a fundraiser with incentives throughout the week and tracked progress across Patreon, Twitch, and PayPal donations to help with ongoing expenses, improve the studio, updating equipment, and plan future events. By the end of EZX 2022, they raised more than $26,000 for their EZX fundraiser and reached over $34,000 per month on Patreon.

Similar to EZX Digital '21, an EZX 2022 Bonus Tracker was posted on Patreon with continual updates planned as incentives get produced over the coming weeks.

 $14,000

 $25,000

## Full EZX Schedule

All times are in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). The full schedule will be released on the first day of EZX 2022.

Monday, March 21, 2022

* 12:00 PM – Announcements
* 1:00 PM – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC
* 3:00 PM – WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain - Defaulte-Giga Saga
* 5:00 PM – Elden Ring Jolly Co-op
* 6:00 PM – Hidden in Plain Sight
* 7:00 PM - Chess Tournament

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

* 2:00 PM – Stream Team - F-Zero X
* 4:00 PM – Metroid Dread - Dread Mode
	+ Couldn't unlock Dread Mode so did Sporcle quizzes instead
* 6:00 PM – The Hall of Greats Induction #17

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

* 2:00 PM – Returnal Co-op
* 4:00 PM – Pokemon Nuzlocke
* 7:00 PM – Amateur Gundam Construction

Thursday, March 24, 2022

* 10:00 AM – Huber Syndrome
* 12:00 PM – Mysterious Monsters
* 2:00 PM – Mike & Mike Play Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
* 7:00 PM - Russian Fishing 4

Friday, March 25, 2022

* 9:00 AM – Easy Allies Podcast Early Access
* 12:00 PM – Live Food Reviews
* 1:00 PM – Gran Turismo 7 Vs. Blood
* 2:00 PM – King of Fighters XV Vs. Ben
* 3:00 PM – Chocobo GP
* 5:00 PM - Balan Wonderworld Dance Party
* 5:30 PM – Trash Babies Ultimate - Darkened Skye

## References

1. ↑ "Welcome to Easy Allies Phase Infinity" on Patreon
2. ↑ EZX 2022 Bonus Tracker
3. ↑ Chat picks who's hands go where for Elden Ring jolly co-op
4. ↑ Live Food Review
5. ↑ Ben's Pokémon LeafGreen Nuzlocke (Day 2)
6. ↑ Vocal booth assembled!
7. ↑ Balan Wonderworld Dance Party
8. ↑ Black Desert Character Creations Competition
9. ↑ Jones Builds a LEGO Tallneck
10. ↑ EZX Bonus: Ben Spends Money On...? (Chance Time Edition!)
11. ↑ Resident Evil Welcome to Raccoon City Audio Commentary
12. ↑ Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Movie) - Spoiler Mode!
13. ↑ Trash Babies Ultimate - Darkened Skye (Pt. 2) - The Madness Continues

Easy Allies Launch Marathon • One-Month Celebration! • 6 Month Celebration!
One Year Strong Mega Stream • 2-Year Anniversary Group Stream
Third Year Anniversary Celebration • The Trial of Kyle Bosman • A Concert for Brad
Black Jaguar: The Revenant • Demo Days Gone By • Nutrition Raps
Hearthstone EZA Open Tournament • Magic the Gathering Fundraiser Tournament
Better Stuff Before E3 • Game Day • No Redemption • Studio Launch Party
Patron Party 2020 • NeoGeo 2020 Buyers Guide & Holiday Spectacular
Easy Allies Food Reviews • Return to the Studio Marathon
The Easy Allies Puppet Spectacular • Ben Enters EVO 2021
Balan Wonderworld Dance Party

One Year Strong Mega Stream • 2-Year Anniversary Group Stream • Third Year Anniversary Celebration
EZX Digital 2020 • EZX Digital '21 • **EZX 2022** • EZX 2023