He's seriously saying this after Pragmata made a bunch of childless Gen Z's go, "maybe I do want a kid after all", and is probably a contender for game of the year? Not only is Eric a bad artistic creator, he's a terrible capitalist. "Mass-appeal in entertainment are gone and aren't coming back", Google AI understands humans better than him.
He saw that his OC "detective with a hat" didn't get any backers and just threw his hands up in confusion, coming to the conclusion that it's the worldwide audience's fault
This makes me think of one of my favorite South Park quotes:
Reporter - "Are you high, or just incredibly stupid?"
Bush Jr - "I assure you, I'm not high."
Now I wanna drop Eric in a Disney shareholder meeting. "I've been sayin it a million times, but we gotta abandon the idea of mass-appeal in entertainment."
Broad appeal happens all the time. Project Hail Mary has extremely broad appeal (even though that guy Zack was pretty sure it was gonna be cringe )
Christopher Nolan has broad appeal every three years, even though he also has reliable detractors. Appeal doesn't mean nobody dislikes you.
Man...I've said it a million times. I like it when people succeed. But artists also need to ask themselves hard questions when they don't. Whatever Eric is doing, this ain't that.
Just walked out of a mostly full theater of The Sheep Detectives.... You literally have to have your entire entertainment paradigm/interest wrapped around extremely popular franchises to have this belief. And its only controversial because "YOU'RE" controversial and you live primarily in one corner of the internet and you're books have never ventured beyond internet chatter because they suck.
Mass appeal is popular culture. So from now mass appeal is all nostalgia culture? EJ "R.I.P. popular culture 2026". Then again EJ doesn't engage in pop culture. He's an outsider looking in. As if the G/kids are nostalgic for my era of Mortal Kombat gaming. They like MK now, because of the MK now not past. I don't even play MK anymore not for decades (to old/slow).
there's a reason why long standing franchises ARE long standing. Its because they have mass appeal. they'd be niche otherwise and wouldn't last as long. I like some stuff that's been a lil niche over the years but the sad thing with those series is they don't live outside the small fan base.
K Pop Demon Hunter a very old film from 2025 with original story and brand new characters better wake up and stop living off that mass appeal gravy train
Eric says it can’t be done
Ya maybe it can’t be done with Detective with hat but that sounds like your problem Eric
He’s made this argument multiple times since dropping off
Like he tries to argue that only old ideas stay successful and there’s nothing new that gets high praise from an audience
Pragmata is a brand new game that Just came out Mouse: P.I. For Hire also just released not that long ago developers started working when when Mickey Mouse entered public domain
It looks incredible and I can’t wait to play it
I liked EJ like 7-8 years ago back when he was just stating things that were vaguely obvious platitudes about goings on in the industry that folks with insiders would also talk about, I just enjoyed his generic takes because usually I shared his opinion. I got rubbed the wrong way pretty much the minute he decided to “break in” to the industry he started big-manning pros who literally had over 15-20 years in the industry before him. I knew VERY EARLY on how ruled by his own EGO EJ is.
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 just surpassed the mark of 8 million copies sold last month, and the game is barely a year old only. Universally acclaimed by critics and gamers alike, new IP from a new studio. And it’s just the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the stupid xweet. I’m pretty sure I can come up with a bunch of “exceptions” to EJ’s rule if I think a little.
Eric July can't create mass appeal because he will always be known as a right wing grifter. That's what he created for himself. If you want to create mass appeal you need talent but you also can't be a divisive person. People like JK Rowling became divisive after they already achieved it.
He's always adding these little squirrel words to give himself a "that wasn't explicitly what it is that it was that I say-id" escape hatch. Those days are gone, except for big IPs and ""rare"" new ones. They're be huge successes (that it is that we are seeing), but they'll always be a rando that hates it.
Eric wouldn't be able to recognize successful art if it snuck up and shaved his absurd shoulders.
With how closely you're following this, I'm begining to lose faith that you'll get around to telling me how to think regarding the new animal farm adaptation
How will I know what the right opinion for the Mardel's-Pixar-knock-off is, Zach?
@bradleysmit1842
16 hours ago