Machinima Re-Launches Its Prime Channel: “This Is Our Final Form”

When it launched as part of the YouTube Original Channels Initiative, Machinima Prime brought a new level of production value to YouTube. The channel, which lived within the Machinima network, featured high-quality projects aimed at Machinima’s young, predominantly male fans. Some series, like Halo: Forward Unto Dawn, had multi-million dollar budgets.

Now, after months of sparse activity, Prime is back. Machinima execs Woody Tondorf (Director of Programming and Development) and Andy Shapiro (VP of Programming and Development) are leading a re-launch of the channel, which will feature a clearer focus and a more regular release schedule.

Recently, Machinima Prime’s releases have been limited to the occasional web series (such as Chop Shop) and a number of short films (including The Gable 5 and Game World). These videos share little in common with each other, aside from being generally dark, action-packed, and intense. One of the new Prime’s biggest priorities is a much tighter focus. In an interview with Tubefilter, Tondorf called the new content slate “a lot more video game stuff” and less “arm wrestling.” It’s “the stuff the audience really wants to see,” he noted. “This is our final form,” added Shapiro. “This is the channel we always should have been making.”

The new Prime will also put more emphasis on Machinima’s own partners. While big “tentpole” series similar to Forward Unto Dawn will still be present, many

other projects will come from within the network. “The best part of Prime is to find real talent in our network and get them to the place where they can deliver those tentpoles to us,” said Shapiro.

Some of the creators who will produce content for Prime include Bat in the Sun and Wayside Creations. Bat in the Sun has christened the re-launched channel with a new episode of the Super Power Beat Down series, with Kickass taking on Casey Jones. The channel was officially introduced with a separate video where Tondorf and Shapiro remake Prime with some help from Harley Quinn, Spider Man, and other iconic characters.

A third priority of the new channel is what Tondorf called “a robust and consistent schedule.” “We’re going to be a little show out of the gate, but we’re finally going to get back to weekly releases starting in October,” he added. This plan will involve a monthly show where Tondorf will inform viewers about upcoming series in the Prime pipeline.

At its height, the original Prime channel featured some of the highest-quality content on YouTube. The new Prime (Prime prime?) doesn’t seem as if it will sacrifice any of that production value while also bringing Machinima back to its roots. If you want that sort of content in your feed, now’s the time to subscribe.