If Metazoo is actually in the process of a sale, why would they just let everyone think that metazoo is dead for the past few days? It would be easy enough to have someone put out a statement saying that Mike was lying. I can't see how anyone involved in the sale would benefit from the confusion. I think the game being sold to bandai is cope, personally.
Because saying that would make it look like there is a power struggle and conflict in the business. Which would make things WORSE. If they are smart and the rumor is true they will first get all their ducks in a row before any update. They will also personally take legal action against mike for sure if this is the case.
I swear the negative drama is in a way a positive thing & making it more popular. Though, i'm more interested in the drama than the cards themselves haha
for sure! most likely a case study of how NOT to run a business, but definitely a case study. Its hard to find another company that had so much in their hands and made so many mistakes over and over again to the point they brought everything to the ground.
@julianroninbb it's called the Rebecca Black effect. It became very popular about a decade ago. It's basically just utilizing negative publicity to make profit. They did a psychoanalysis study back in 2012 that showed negative attention generated WAY MORE, and I mean WAY MORE, traffic than positive. This is IMO when the internet developed "fake culture", because people started intentionally creating drama, lying, doing bad things, etc, all for attention and ultimately to profit off of it. Celebrities are notorious for it. I wouldn't be surprised if MetaZoo took the strategy straight from the playbook considering it seems like there's always SOMETHING happening in the MetaZoo world that negatively promotes it.
But on a more serious note. The reason this is not true (i.e. Bandai will not buy MetaZoo) is lawyers. No lawyer from Bandai will do a buy agreement without a non-disparage clause saying the current owners can't harm the company. Normally it's a mutual non-disparagement. it's in 99% of buyouts. We learn about it in mergers and acquisition in law school. I've seen it in dozens of contracts. Assuming Mike has a lawyer, no lawyer would ever allow Mike to post what he did as it opens him up to lawsuits for preorders and player payouts. The reason no one has sued is because everyone just kept waiting. if the company closes.... no one is shocked they aren't getting paid.
If Mike is as emotionally unhinged as people make him out to be I would not be surprised if he doesn't care what his lawyer wants him to do at this point.
We will have to wait and see what the future has in store I guess. Thank you for taking time away from your rudy videos to comment and just because your a lawyer dosen't mean much. You ban people from viewing your channle for any feedback and chalk it up to people being rudy fans then justify people's intellect because they have a rolex which is some thin skin cringe.
New to MZ here. The chaos got my attention so I started buying. Hope the TCG can keep going and your community can heal and grow. That’s what this should all be about. Definitely need new leadership though
Same here lol. I found out about the death of the TCG and I just bought boxes I found for less than $50 and am keeping for collection reasons. It would be fun to play it ngl. Shame this happened but Mike did sound like a jackass from the stuff I was reading online. And if Bandai does buy this that'll make it a 6th TCG under them. Regardless the cards look cool and I am keeping most of my collection and building some fun decks for fun moments with friends.
@@CrazyWerewolf444 check out Gary king pokemon, he did a interview with peeweez recently and knows mike on a personal level. Doesn’t sound like mike did anything malicious, but seems more like the company was mismanaged. I trust Gary over the trolls online. Pretty sweet getting boosters under $50.00 🥰
@dawnofthewalkers4915 this guy Has been railroading bullying Disrespecting Anyone and everyone in his sight and almost drove his a amazing idea into the ground without caring for any of us. Who've been here for years....F$^K MIKE!!!
Just my opinion here. Bandai taking over and kicking Mike to the curb would change a lot of minds I think. Bandai does digimon tcg and can mend ties with distributors, card shops, fans, etc. Bandai’s word will hold much more weight than let down Mike and Andy. Shoutout to Nick for keeping us in the rumor mill fr 🙌🙌🙌
@@michaelsokenis Facts. They have One Piece as their top followed in second place with Digimon, then BSS and DragonBall. And now they are doing Union Arena as their 5th TCG. If they do run Metazoo Bandai will have 6 TCGs. But I cannot lie I will play Metazoo under them as I play Digimon which is the most fun TCG I have ever played.
It is a shockingly Honorless way to go out... Idk what the truth really is, exhausting just thinking about it all... I do personally wish a company that could cultivate the fanbase correctly would swoop in, but you're incredibly right... They'd have a massive amount of work to bring MetaZoo back from the grave it dug itself into... 🥀🃏🥀
That's the difference between pokemon and MZ. If PKM shot down people would be crying for pikachu and charizard. But MZ closes shop and all the talk revolves around 💰 🤑 💸 ...
@@upb1439 Are you that dense bro? 😂 "You couldnt PAY me to open or care about pokemon". Some people dont give af about pokemon. How did you gather what you said out of that?
@@upb1439 How long you been into pokemon btw? A couple years prolly, when Logan Paul hyped the fuck outta it.. all the bandwagon timmys came running. 😂
@@TomKaosOfficial I’m 33 yrs old and loved Pkmn when it first came out. Went to Leagues, prereleases, etc. got back into it just before that HUGE SCAMMER blew up the whole hobby. I will say tho that the previous comment you made is fair and legit as I misread and was trying to provoke, but now You’re attacking after the fact about someone’s “legitimacy” of interest in the hobby? That’s a goofy look dude. Whether someone’s been interested in something from the rip or just found it today we should welcome everybody the same. That gatekeeping mentality looks ugly on you.
Metazoo may actually not be dead. Everybody is pissed right now but people have short memories. If Bandai takes over and rights some wrongs there could be a significant bounce back. Say they pay the players that are owed money which is chump change to a company that size, get out some product and have a solid release or two it could turn around.
Thanks for the updates. We've been a LGS here at 2 Dudes Gaming since Wilderness. We haven't heard a peep out of them. The game won't be dead if Bandai grabs it. It'll just take some time.
Mike was a prick. He banned me from everything for various reasons. He can take zero criticism. I was a KS backer and loved the idea. I talked with Mike pretty frequently. He personally sent me new samples when mine didn't ship. Then everything changed for some reason or another. If another company buys metazoo, i hope they make it a *real* game. If a serious buyer gets it, I'll be interested
Even if Bandai buys them, it doesn't mean they plan to keep making MetaZoo. They might just want the resources the company had to use for their own TCG game. Bandai is planning a global release of one of the new Digimon sets. So stepping in, and printing where metazoo was might be what they are considering.
The problem is Mike Waddell is creatively intelligent. Hes not logistical, which is why he got suits involved. Thats where it backfired for him, like it does for all creative people who start companies without integrated their own understanding of business. Everyone is acting like this is all on Mike Waddell, but that guy was manipulated hardcore and this is proof of that. As soon as the status of the IP was established (crossover with Hello Kitty solidified the brand), Mike was forced out by people a lot smarter and a lot grittier than he is. This happens all the time in the business world. If Mike Waddell put out that letter to sabotage the sale, it wasn't out of animosity so much as it was out of desperation. I'd be freaking out too if I was being forced to give my baby to someone else.
So many people panic sold their stuff cause Mike tried to sabotage MZ for kicking him out haha. Explains why the whole announcement channel got nuked. Looks like Shaw is in charge on the discord now. I hope they boot Andy too or MZ will die a second time
It wasn't panic sales, if your told a company is shutdown by the official source. Then why would you wait around holding the hot potato. They got no artist, and got alot of things to fix before they can even try to do anything.
Metazoo is still dead. Once the entire internet and public sentiment declares it's dead.. it's an impossible feat to climb back. Literally hasn't been done by anything that doesn't have a MAJOR player base (Magic), or a company that releases great games every year with a beloved anime (Pokemon). Also Bandai has ONLY killed off TCGs throughout their history. One Piece is popping right now, but don't under estimate Bandai's will to make extra money in the short term, to completely kill off their TCG. It's still a RIP Metazoo. All the best artists are gone, everything is owed to everyone, and if it gets bought out by Bandai, they are the absolute greatest at killing off TCGs. One Piece has 1100 episodes of lore behind it. MetaZoo just has shame, sadly
What was odd to me was that Metazoo was working on a beta version of the online client so if they planned to close doors why work and present the client ? But what is odd to me is why no one else from Metazoo has made a statement if it just Mike ?
Yeah the client is a huge reason it wasnt a pump and dump. If it were it wouldnt have even been made. They wudda kept promising it or delivered a broken janky piece of junk. They wudnt have kept upgrading the quality of the cards every set either
from experience working there in the passt, Mike made sure he was the only one informationwas received from. In the past we'd have people reach out to interview or want to do a chat with us, and we'd have to get approval and it was severely limited who he would let talk. so im not surprised hes the only one that made a statement, its always been his thing unfortunately
The way this company is being handled is pure comedy gold. The sheer fact that adults handle business is the manner this has played out makes me extremely grateful for my business degrees. Grown children shouldn't be in charge of anything, if it is a temper tantrum, wow..
For metazoo to rebound, Mike Waddell, Andy Moron, Afton, Bailey & Steve Aoki all need to go. Its really not that difficult to fix all these issues. Throw some money at it and hire qualified individuals. I know for a fact that Mike never created anything after Nightfall. Hire me, I can run this company.
Of all the bad news about MZ that has come out recently, a buyout by Bandai is probably the best scenario for the company right now. The damage has been done, but at least MZ will technically still be alive and has gotten rid of the two biggest drawbacks it has, Mike and Andy.
For real though. If Bandai does buy MZ, I hope they don’t strip it. They must see the potential it has and we don’t apparently need Mike if he legit hasn’t contributed anything since the beginning. Boot all these dudes who only cared about the money. Bring back the artists and rewrite the story. Get a show out and grow a whole new fanbase. MZ could be huge. Huge! At least one can dream. But the copium is high I know. Bandai has a track record of ruining games 😂
I have never purchased a single Metazoo item but am intrigued by the drama. This could be a buy when there's blood in the streets moment. Or it could be a don't catch a falling sword moment. Vultures are circling and they are ready to feast.
Having Mike and Andy out of the company is what metazoo needs. Bandai would actually be able to fix metazoo. The worse thing Bandai could do is fire Ted he’s the best part of metazoo.
To everyone saying "MetaZoo is Dead" With mike's letter going viral to then go "Guys, come back, it's not dead" , I think most people wont come back and it will have lost too much trust from the main fans. We don't know what's happening behind the scenes so it makes his statement even more detrimental to the brand/ IP.
This is a good reminder that just because a game is created and brought to market by someone, doesn't guarantee they are sane, decent or always have good intentions for the project. If I am honest, those first interviews between Rudy and Mike were kind of creepy. After that, there were many examples of a management that forgot to stick to business and taking things way too personal. We have seen that with Flesh and Blood as well. There is no room in business for "getting your feelings hurt" and lashing out at fans of the game.
This is the end of the vintage era of MetaZoo…leave the pathetic tactics of MetaZoo fade into its own folklore and welcome in a new direction with professionals that know how to make MetaZoo a global phenomenon. It’s all speculation for now but I guarantee MetaZoo is not dead, it is just on the verge of a fresh start.
Mmm this is some tasty news. I would give metazoo a chance aslong as mike is gone. Bandai is an amazing company for card games. They can revive it in a more exciting way. They have the platform to make metazoo what it should have been.
If it is true that Mike did this to try and take the ship down with him. The feeling is comparable to being cheated on, a betrayal, and a selfish act. If it is true that Bandi now has Metazoo, Metazoo is in good hands. You'll still feel hurt, and cautious of the future but you'll eventually heal. If Mike is gone, a lot of people will rejoice. If Bandi makes a fresh start, starting at the top, which was the biggest problem, people will come back. A ton of people stopped because of the people at the top. I think short term, Metazoo is going to absolutely drag this year and maybe even next year. Long term, this will be the best thing to ever happen to Metazoo. If it truly is the end, and rumors are just rumors, what a crazy ride for the last 4(ish) years
If Bandai indeed bought the game they can save it. It will take some rebranding and actual affordable enticing to get people to even attempt it again. A tv show or anime and maybe a mobile app or pc game would be a great way to begin. Free giveaways could even help them.
Wait so we coul see this as the 'final dump' / highest fear moment of metazoo history? Like in stocks, just before things turn around :O , next weeks will be a ride.. Hopefully they did buy it!! I would love for MZ to continue, and if they do it right, I hope you will stay too Nick, even without that 1/1 moth
Hey Nick, you want to come to a Metazoo game on Saturday and hang out with some people who love the game and get their opinion? We would love to have you hang out. We're in your area.
I just want to give you massive props Nick for all that you have done in the last few months for us. The news, the reporting, the investigating, this community wouldn't be as in the know without you. Thank you!
Thanks for keeping us updated Nick. I for 1 appreciate you and all you do. I hope things get better for Metazoo. For now ima get my few boxes and be happy.
As an older guy in the TCG world I feel like I would be judged for not helping to warn the younger collectors. This has happened a few times in history and the buyer usually changes the game a lot in order to make a profit from the purchase. The failed Alpha sets from the old game (on average) are NOT considered to be alpha and the beginning sets of the new era become alpha(and that's EVEN IF the game stays popular) I say this as a warning to younger collectors only to keep your mind right. I have also lost a good amount of held value on Metazoo and I wont be caught losing more to a dead cat bounce (Thats exactly where this term is used).
NOW!! Thats the negative part. On the positive part, if you are in a decent financial position in life and not struggling to pay any bills then 100% just keep everything you got because you only live once. The new game MIGHT be really good too or stay the same. I would never claim to be able to tell the future. I hope the Nation has a strong future.
Well what ever is happening Mike , Andy, Afton need to be gone. IMO. Manager dating an Artist, Having issues with absolutely everyone, and I mean everyone. Players, creators, collectors, anyone with an opinion, and an owner that just backed away from the whole operation is not needed or welcome in a tight knit community of loyal supporters 16:02 Events with 1-2 week notices on locations and notices on who could attend, let alone try and make travel plans for it, cash grabbing on every level of items at events and not supporting players with product, ousting Judges, make Ig them work for nothing, so many levels of these people needing to be gone. Then screwing the artists. So many great artists. Great people they are. Nobody went to these to see Andy or Mike, it was to play and see the Artist. How do you create a game with no art? It’s what grabs and brings people in. Then the mechanics of the game. Great job on this too. So much trust lost on preorders for everything. Screwing every LGS by dropping special sets right after Boosters, blisters and spellbooks, hit their stores. Instead of including them in the original drops. Just like a Micro transaction video game, have to buy everything after the purchase. It all needs to be remanaged. The warehouse full of product needs to be sold at current market value or less to get funds available for orders and printing to fulfill all orders. IMO.
If Mike tried to sabotage the company if its being sold. The fans should try to stick with it more so Mike isnt successful in ruining it for everyone. If this didnt happen and there was news that bandai bought it.. it would be exciting.. so if thats the case.. we should keep that perspective
People need to understand that MetaZoo was never Mike alone. Imagine if Elon Musk is pissed and post something weird (happens all the time lol) is Tesla or SpaceX dead than? This TCG is still breathing!
I have no idea why, given everything that's come out in the last 2 days, anyone would believe that MZ has a healthy future. It might exist, but the value is gone.
Because tons of people are pissed at him and he's losing his company. There probably aren't many people he wants to talk to right now. Especially not from his ex company.
@@Natefirethemagnets yea but a lot of people in the company don’t even know what’s going on in the first place, idk maybe this guy is really an asshole after all
If a sale was in the works or finalized and Mike did actually try to blow everything up on his way out the door you'd have to think they're going to be able to hammer him for everything he's worth. The potential monetary loss caused by that post from the standpoint of new ownership is beyond huge.
Its just so sad to see this all happen for what was a great game and idea. Hopeful for the buyout, but wonder how different the game will be if someone like Bandai buys it
I have thinking a lot now and I actually got a little bit more positive the last hours. I will daydream a little bit here: The best case scenario would be if Metazoo would be bought by Bandai. They know wtf they are doing and they will release the TV show/Netflix show or what ever and they will build out the IP to something big. Of course they will make cards that look different compared to the OG Metazoo cards, but they will look very cool as well. They will release the Yokai Island set, it becomes a BANGER in Japan and Metazoo becomes very popular. People wanna play Metazoo all over the world, there will be tournaments etc. And people become very intrested in the very first "OG"Metazoo cards. Then I think the OG Metazoo cards could go up in value again. So Metazoo survives. But this will probably never happen.
So if Metazoo continues to operate under a new umbrella, like Bandai for instance. The problem would still be Andy. That's the guy that no one likes. If he's still running things I doubt anyone would come back.
😮 if bandai picks up metazoo will they try to get the artists back? Or hire new ones? Bandai is a big company , it has its hands in model kits , video games, and anime so maybe this was needed. But what of the artists? Did they not know (the ones that stayed). And will the art contest still go on? Idk but hey if it keeps going ill be glad but hopefully it will be a good change if all of this is true.
I can’t imagine Bandai would want a product that virtually only has North American demand and now even that demand is, like you said, severely diminished. It’s more likely that a smaller company or start up would purchase this at smaller price.
I truly hope Bandai doesn’t pickup the IP for MetaZoo. Currently playing some Bandai TCG and there are a lot of pain points right now with their printing production getting cut constantly and it’s driving up the prices of some of their games really high. I wish they’d figure out their printing issues before creating more TCGs or buying up other ones
This whole situation is just sad. This was a fun game and concept that my family really enjoyed taking part in. If the egos take a back seat and a sale happens, hopefully this fun game has a chance to come back and thrive.
Ngl i only got into metazoo like a month ago so idk about all the "lore" on why everyone hates everyone, so if its not dead and bought by bandai, im hopping right back on the train. I havent been here long enough to feel betrayed 😅
If they did in fact sell…I’m happy about it, but I do hope that more than Mike was pushed out. There were more internal issues than Mike. I love Metazoo and I think the fans are still there and will come back with Mike being gone. Many were directly banned by Mike because he’s always been sensitive and had ego problems. I’m rooting for a good and to this drama!
I don't quite understand the panic , if I am honest ! 1/ I am not about to dump my collection (Collecting in the UK was hard enough ) , when it is obvious there is bitterness in some posts , NOT FACTS 2/ The reason I collected was because I liked the Artwork and Product - that has not and will not change. 3/ I did not follow who the hierarchy of the company was / is / may be ! , but the existing product - any changes in the future will not change my opinion of what exists . 4/ If this should end up being a bandai I don't care , I have a lot of early bandai Yugioh / pokemon (late '90's , early 2000's) which are no longer in production , but I still derive pleasure from 5/ anyone who went into Metazoo on a financial basis , are the ones most likely to be upset , this is true not only of TCG / CCG items , but runs true accross the board , Antiques , Stocks Shares - no one can predict the financial future !!!
If MetaZoo isn't dead, Andy needs to wire money to the pro players TODAY! and print and send the 3rd anniversary promos, the streamer kits, the SCP cards, and pay back every fraudulent action they have made thus far. It's like they think we don't have legal teams just waiting to file a class action against them.
This conspiracy sounds fake. But what ya’ll dont understand is that bandai is literally the biggest toy brand in all of Asia. They produce toys for the most mainstream anime-related toys. If metazoo really is bought up by bandai, metazoo is gonna be everywhere
Sounds plausible, but it's most likely a total trolling. I agree that if anyone did buy it, the brand has been so badly damaged it seems like it'd be almost impossible to turn things around.
He deleted it because he’s legally responsible to offer refunds on preorders if MetaZoo is out of business. He messed up, didn’t want to get sued and slammed with refunds from credit agencies, and deleted it.
I hope it did sell and who ever bought it brings all the artists back. Put new management in and keep the sets coming. I will buy if it doesn't veer off into B. S. Like korami
If the intent is to sell the company, this is the worst way you can possibly do it. The damage done to the IP the last few months, and especially the last week, is so immense that you would be utterly crazy if you think there is a possibility to save this ship.
It's a wildcard if this is true..... If it's true, I'd say Mike did most/all the damage to himself. MetaZoo itself is a cool IP that I think has some legs in it going forward.... IF, managed correctly.
This is the kind of conspiracy content i came to Metazoo for. So good.
Whoever is buying didn’t do enough research to find out that Andy is just as big of a problem for the company.
He’s Possibly the biggest issue
@@Thebushman808 Don't worry, BAN DAI will fire Andy as well.
Don't worry! Mike and Andy are stable geniuses. They will bring back Metazoo.
Nobody is buying
This is a rumor to allow whales to liquidate to timmies before Mike declares bankruptcy
If Metazoo is actually in the process of a sale, why would they just let everyone think that metazoo is dead for the past few days? It would be easy enough to have someone put out a statement saying that Mike was lying. I can't see how anyone involved in the sale would benefit from the confusion.
I think the game being sold to bandai is cope, personally.
Because saying that would make it look like there is a power struggle and conflict in the business. Which would make things WORSE. If they are smart and the rumor is true they will first get all their ducks in a row before any update. They will also personally take legal action against mike for sure if this is the case.
So those selling the business can buy the dip in product.
One thing I'm confused about is why the remaining artists left if the game isn't totally dead?
@@silverwolf6866 Right. Silence is always recommended in these scenarios
Oh look someone with common sense.
No matter how this plays out, Metazoo will be an interesting case studying in TCG history
I swear the negative drama is in a way a positive thing & making it more popular. Though, i'm more interested in the drama than the cards themselves haha
for sure! most likely a case study of how NOT to run a business, but definitely a case study. Its hard to find another company that had so much in their hands and made so many mistakes over and over again to the point they brought everything to the ground.
I doubt any useful information would come out of such a case study. Its just another failed small business, albeit one with a lot of drama.
@julianroninbb it's called the Rebecca Black effect. It became very popular about a decade ago. It's basically just utilizing negative publicity to make profit. They did a psychoanalysis study back in 2012 that showed negative attention generated WAY MORE, and I mean WAY MORE, traffic than positive. This is IMO when the internet developed "fake culture", because people started intentionally creating drama, lying, doing bad things, etc, all for attention and ultimately to profit off of it. Celebrities are notorious for it. I wouldn't be surprised if MetaZoo took the strategy straight from the playbook considering it seems like there's always SOMETHING happening in the MetaZoo world that negatively promotes it.
But on a more serious note. The reason this is not true (i.e. Bandai will not buy MetaZoo) is lawyers. No lawyer from Bandai will do a buy agreement without a non-disparage clause saying the current owners can't harm the company. Normally it's a mutual non-disparagement. it's in 99% of buyouts. We learn about it in mergers and acquisition in law school. I've seen it in dozens of contracts. Assuming Mike has a lawyer, no lawyer would ever allow Mike to post what he did as it opens him up to lawsuits for preorders and player payouts. The reason no one has sued is because everyone just kept waiting. if the company closes.... no one is shocked they aren't getting paid.
If Mike is as emotionally unhinged as people make him out to be I would not be surprised if he doesn't care what his lawyer wants him to do at this point.
We will have to wait and see what the future has in store I guess. Thank you for taking time away from your rudy videos to comment and just because your a lawyer dosen't mean much. You ban people from viewing your channle for any feedback and chalk it up to people being rudy fans then justify people's intellect because they have a rolex which is some thin skin cringe.
Rumors say Mike was immediately contacted by the board and threatened legally and that is why the message was deleted.
I can’t believe there’s so much drama around a card game lol.
Almost like it's part of the business strategy
New to MZ here. The chaos got my attention so I started buying. Hope the TCG can keep going and your community can heal and grow. That’s what this should all be about. Definitely need new leadership though
Same here lol. I found out about the death of the TCG and I just bought boxes I found for less than $50 and am keeping for collection reasons. It would be fun to play it ngl. Shame this happened but Mike did sound like a jackass from the stuff I was reading online. And if Bandai does buy this that'll make it a 6th TCG under them. Regardless the cards look cool and I am keeping most of my collection and building some fun decks for fun moments with friends.
@@CrazyWerewolf444 check out Gary king pokemon, he did a interview with peeweez recently and knows mike on a personal level. Doesn’t sound like mike did anything malicious, but seems more like the company was mismanaged. I trust Gary over the trolls online. Pretty sweet getting boosters under $50.00 🥰
FEELING BAD FOR MIKE= STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Agreed
@dawnofthewalkers4915 this guy Has been railroading bullying Disrespecting
Anyone and everyone in his sight and almost drove his a amazing idea into the ground without caring for any of us. Who've been here for years....F$^K MIKE!!!
Just my opinion here. Bandai taking over and kicking Mike to the curb would change a lot of minds I think. Bandai does digimon tcg and can mend ties with distributors, card shops, fans, etc. Bandai’s word will hold much more weight than let down Mike and Andy. Shoutout to Nick for keeping us in the rumor mill fr 🙌🙌🙌
Good points.
The last thing bandai needs right now is another tcg to manage
@@michaelsokenis good point as well. One piece really took off bigger than anyone expected really. It’s killing it.
@@michaelsokenis Facts. They have One Piece as their top followed in second place with Digimon, then BSS and DragonBall. And now they are doing Union Arena as their 5th TCG. If they do run Metazoo Bandai will have 6 TCGs. But I cannot lie I will play Metazoo under them as I play Digimon which is the most fun TCG I have ever played.
It is a shockingly Honorless way to go out... Idk what the truth really is, exhausting just thinking about it all...
I do personally wish a company that could cultivate the fanbase correctly would swoop in, but you're incredibly right... They'd have a massive amount of work to bring MetaZoo back from the grave it dug itself into...
🥀🃏🥀
I think it can be brought back. I really do.
If someone with some sanity, common sense, respect, and a little passion took control... It may be salvageable..@@theconfusingwords
🥀🃏🥀
@@theconfusingwordsif this is true I think it can too but the work that will need to be put in will be substantial.
Alot of people wilp come back if mike and andy are out.
Thanks for keeping us in the loop Nick.
That's the difference between pokemon and MZ. If PKM shot down people would be crying for pikachu and charizard. But MZ closes shop and all the talk revolves around 💰 🤑 💸 ...
You couldnt pay me to open or care about pokemon lol
@@TomKaosOfficial Literally proving the point that MZ is all about money/investor bros with that comment, lol.
@@upb1439 Are you that dense bro? 😂 "You couldnt PAY me to open or care about pokemon". Some people dont give af about pokemon. How did you gather what you said out of that?
@@upb1439 How long you been into pokemon btw? A couple years prolly, when Logan Paul hyped the fuck outta it.. all the bandwagon timmys came running. 😂
@@TomKaosOfficial I’m 33 yrs old and loved Pkmn when it first came out. Went to Leagues, prereleases, etc. got back into it just before that HUGE SCAMMER blew up the whole hobby. I will say tho that the previous comment you made is fair and legit as I misread and was trying to provoke, but now You’re attacking after the fact about someone’s “legitimacy” of interest in the hobby? That’s a goofy look dude. Whether someone’s been interested in something from the rip or just found it today we should welcome everybody the same. That gatekeeping mentality looks ugly on you.
Metazoo may actually not be dead. Everybody is pissed right now but people have short memories. If Bandai takes over and rights some wrongs there could be a significant bounce back. Say they pay the players that are owed money which is chump change to a company that size, get out some product and have a solid release or two it could turn around.
Thanks for the updates. We've been a LGS here at 2 Dudes Gaming since Wilderness. We haven't heard a peep out of them.
The game won't be dead if Bandai grabs it. It'll just take some time.
Mike was a prick. He banned me from everything for various reasons. He can take zero criticism. I was a KS backer and loved the idea. I talked with Mike pretty frequently. He personally sent me new samples when mine didn't ship. Then everything changed for some reason or another.
If another company buys metazoo, i hope they make it a *real* game. If a serious buyer gets it, I'll be interested
Lol. What a strange time to return to Metzoo...I literally come back on your "death of metazoo" stream, now this
hahaha
Even if Bandai buys them, it doesn't mean they plan to keep making MetaZoo.
They might just want the resources the company had to use for their own TCG game.
Bandai is planning a global release of one of the new Digimon sets. So stepping in, and printing where metazoo was might be what they are considering.
I hope so because Bandai has some serious printing issues currently that they need to figure out
The problem is Mike Waddell is creatively intelligent. Hes not logistical, which is why he got suits involved. Thats where it backfired for him, like it does for all creative people who start companies without integrated their own understanding of business. Everyone is acting like this is all on Mike Waddell, but that guy was manipulated hardcore and this is proof of that. As soon as the status of the IP was established (crossover with Hello Kitty solidified the brand), Mike was forced out by people a lot smarter and a lot grittier than he is. This happens all the time in the business world. If Mike Waddell put out that letter to sabotage the sale, it wasn't out of animosity so much as it was out of desperation. I'd be freaking out too if I was being forced to give my baby to someone else.
Totally agree damage already done and who ever could support that would blow my mind
So many people panic sold their stuff cause Mike tried to sabotage MZ for kicking him out haha. Explains why the whole announcement channel got nuked. Looks like Shaw is in charge on the discord now. I hope they boot Andy too or MZ will die a second time
Yeuuuuuuuup. lol
It wasn't panic sales, if your told a company is shutdown by the official source. Then why would you wait around holding the hot potato.
They got no artist, and got alot of things to fix before they can even try to do anything.
@@Dinowrestler Its panic. MZ is full of incompetency and ran like a clown show. You never know what’s going on
Someone's totally going to make a Netflix documentary on this
Absolutely. Then our sealed product will go to the moon 😂
Metazoo is still dead. Once the entire internet and public sentiment declares it's dead.. it's an impossible feat to climb back. Literally hasn't been done by anything that doesn't have a MAJOR player base (Magic), or a company that releases great games every year with a beloved anime (Pokemon). Also Bandai has ONLY killed off TCGs throughout their history. One Piece is popping right now, but don't under estimate Bandai's will to make extra money in the short term, to completely kill off their TCG. It's still a RIP Metazoo. All the best artists are gone, everything is owed to everyone, and if it gets bought out by Bandai, they are the absolute greatest at killing off TCGs. One Piece has 1100 episodes of lore behind it. MetaZoo just has shame, sadly
What was odd to me was that Metazoo was working on a beta version of the online client so if they planned to close doors why work and present the client ? But what is odd to me is why no one else from Metazoo has made a statement if it just Mike ?
Yeah the client is a huge reason it wasnt a pump and dump. If it were it wouldnt have even been made. They wudda kept promising it or delivered a broken janky piece of junk. They wudnt have kept upgrading the quality of the cards every set either
from experience working there in the passt, Mike made sure he was the only one informationwas received from. In the past we'd have people reach out to interview or want to do a chat with us, and we'd have to get approval and it was severely limited who he would let talk.
so im not surprised hes the only one that made a statement, its always been his thing unfortunately
Bandai is buying MetaZoo? ...ok I'm listening.
The way this company is being handled is pure comedy gold. The sheer fact that adults handle business is the manner this has played out makes me extremely grateful for my business degrees. Grown children shouldn't be in charge of anything, if it is a temper tantrum, wow..
It’s fun to collect MetaZoo even if it’s just for an hour! ❤
For metazoo to rebound, Mike Waddell, Andy Moron, Afton, Bailey & Steve Aoki all need to go. Its really not that difficult to fix all these issues. Throw some money at it and hire qualified individuals. I know for a fact that Mike never created anything after Nightfall. Hire me, I can run this company.
If they sell, I doubt they pay back all the preorders and winnings to the players.
I don’t think that will happen either.
Idk about if you preordered thru them directly, but i preordered thru some random game store i found and i already got my refund earlier today.
Of all the bad news about MZ that has come out recently, a buyout by Bandai is probably the best scenario for the company right now. The damage has been done, but at least MZ will technically still be alive and has gotten rid of the two biggest drawbacks it has, Mike and Andy.
For real though. If Bandai does buy MZ, I hope they don’t strip it. They must see the potential it has and we don’t apparently need Mike if he legit hasn’t contributed anything since the beginning. Boot all these dudes who only cared about the money. Bring back the artists and rewrite the story. Get a show out and grow a whole new fanbase. MZ could be huge. Huge! At least one can dream. But the copium is high I know. Bandai has a track record of ruining games 😂
I have never purchased a single Metazoo item but am intrigued by the drama. This could be a buy when there's blood in the streets moment. Or it could be a don't catch a falling sword moment. Vultures are circling and they are ready to feast.
Having Mike and Andy out of the company is what metazoo needs. Bandai would actually be able to fix metazoo. The worse thing Bandai could do is fire Ted he’s the best part of metazoo.
Y’all really believe anything
To everyone saying "MetaZoo is Dead" With mike's letter going viral to then go
"Guys, come back, it's not dead" , I think most people wont come back and it will have lost too much trust from the main fans. We don't know what's happening behind the scenes so it makes his statement even more detrimental to the brand/ IP.
This is a good reminder that just because a game is created and brought to market by someone, doesn't guarantee they are sane, decent or always have good intentions for the project. If I am honest, those first interviews between Rudy and Mike were kind of creepy. After that, there were many examples of a management that forgot to stick to business and taking things way too personal. We have seen that with Flesh and Blood as well. There is no room in business for "getting your feelings hurt" and lashing out at fans of the game.
Which is crazier .. the rumor or those believing it?😂
trust me, there's truth to this one.
Seems so unlikely. I can't see why Bandai would touch this. They could start their own cryptid TCG if they wanted to.
This is the end of the vintage era of MetaZoo…leave the pathetic tactics of MetaZoo fade into its own folklore and welcome in a new direction with professionals that know how to make MetaZoo a global phenomenon. It’s all speculation for now but I guarantee MetaZoo is not dead, it is just on the verge of a fresh start.
@Metazoo menace can you make a comedy video on metazoo now. 😅
@@cheeseburger8932 I'm posting a short of dropping weights on MetaZoo now, wait till I get my hands on a chaos crystal...
This is incredibly unlikely but I hope you're right for the sake of the people still collecting it. Never nice to see a TCG fail.
Mmm this is some tasty news. I would give metazoo a chance aslong as mike is gone. Bandai is an amazing company for card games. They can revive it in a more exciting way. They have the platform to make metazoo what it should have been.
If it is true that Mike did this to try and take the ship down with him. The feeling is comparable to being cheated on, a betrayal, and a selfish act. If it is true that Bandi now has Metazoo, Metazoo is in good hands. You'll still feel hurt, and cautious of the future but you'll eventually heal. If Mike is gone, a lot of people will rejoice. If Bandi makes a fresh start, starting at the top, which was the biggest problem, people will come back. A ton of people stopped because of the people at the top. I think short term, Metazoo is going to absolutely drag this year and maybe even next year. Long term, this will be the best thing to ever happen to Metazoo. If it truly is the end, and rumors are just rumors, what a crazy ride for the last 4(ish) years
UMU is representing Bandai in court now.
lol
Word on the street is Rudy going to hire UMU as well
If Bandai indeed bought the game they can save it. It will take some rebranding and actual affordable enticing to get people to even attempt it again. A tv show or anime and maybe a mobile app or pc game would be a great way to begin. Free giveaways could even help them.
0:50 thats why I was wondering if they did this for drama attention
Wait so we coul see this as the 'final dump' / highest fear moment of metazoo history? Like in stocks, just before things turn around :O , next weeks will be a ride.. Hopefully they did buy it!! I would love for MZ to continue, and if they do it right, I hope you will stay too Nick, even without that 1/1 moth
If someone buys metazoo they should focus on cryptid clash first. That way the fan base has something more lasting all the while fulfilling orders.
If this is true, Mike's business card will be cheap! Lol
I kind of want this to be true. MetaZoo fans fire sell their cards for pennies. MetaZoo to the Moon.
Yeah you look like you eat your boogers.
Hey Nick, you want to come to a Metazoo game on Saturday and hang out with some people who love the game and get their opinion? We would love to have you hang out. We're in your area.
pump the game nick 🙏
I just want to give you massive props Nick for all that you have done in the last few months for us. The news, the reporting, the investigating, this community wouldn't be as in the know without you. Thank you!
Bandai will put the last nail in the Metazoo coffin and lower it into the grave.
Just like they did one piece… oh wait
@@Sherman_616 one piece has been out for 3 minutes..... Fall back homie. They just announced they're not reprinting all the old sets... Oh wait 🤣🤣🤣
@@mfdoom1898 one piece is about to put out its 6th set and was already vastly underprinted, the reprint is a good thing lmao
@@michaelsokenis have you seen any other bandai TCGs? Good luck 🤞🏼
@@mfdoom1898 digimon has more players at my locals than metazoo ever had lmao
Thanks for keeping us updated Nick. I for 1 appreciate you and all you do. I hope things get better for Metazoo. For now ima get my few boxes and be happy.
As an older guy in the TCG world I feel like I would be judged for not helping to warn the younger collectors. This has happened a few times in history and the buyer usually changes the game a lot in order to make a profit from the purchase. The failed Alpha sets from the old game (on average) are NOT considered to be alpha and the beginning sets of the new era become alpha(and that's EVEN IF the game stays popular) I say this as a warning to younger collectors only to keep your mind right. I have also lost a good amount of held value on Metazoo and I wont be caught losing more to a dead cat bounce (Thats exactly where this term is used).
NOW!! Thats the negative part. On the positive part, if you are in a decent financial position in life and not struggling to pay any bills then 100% just keep everything you got because you only live once. The new game MIGHT be really good too or stay the same. I would never claim to be able to tell the future. I hope the Nation has a strong future.
Well what ever is happening Mike , Andy, Afton need to be gone. IMO. Manager dating an Artist, Having issues with absolutely everyone, and I mean everyone. Players, creators, collectors, anyone with an opinion, and an owner that just backed away from the whole operation is not needed or welcome in a tight knit community of loyal supporters 16:02 Events with 1-2 week notices on locations and notices on who could attend, let alone try and make travel plans for it, cash grabbing on every level of items at events and not supporting players with product, ousting Judges, make Ig them work for nothing, so many levels of these people needing to be gone. Then screwing the artists. So many great artists. Great people they are. Nobody went to these to see Andy or Mike, it was to play and see the Artist.
How do you create a game with no art? It’s what grabs and brings people in. Then the mechanics of the game. Great job on this too.
So much trust lost on preorders for everything. Screwing every LGS by dropping special sets right after Boosters, blisters and spellbooks, hit their stores. Instead of including them in the original drops. Just like a Micro transaction video game, have to buy everything after the purchase.
It all needs to be remanaged.
The warehouse full of product needs to be sold at current market value or less to get funds available for orders and printing to fulfill all orders.
IMO.
What if this is all just clever advertising? An integral part of their demise and rise story...
Cope harder
Wishful thinking. In business, if you ruin your reputation, game over.
It would be expensive, but I think they could recover. Metazoo x One Piece cross over ;)
If Mike tried to sabotage the company if its being sold. The fans should try to stick with it more so Mike isnt successful in ruining it for everyone.
If this didnt happen and there was news that bandai bought it.. it would be exciting.. so if thats the case.. we should keep that perspective
People need to understand that MetaZoo was never Mike alone. Imagine if Elon Musk is pissed and post something weird (happens all the time lol) is Tesla or SpaceX dead than?
This TCG is still breathing!
I have no idea why, given everything that's come out in the last 2 days, anyone would believe that MZ has a healthy future. It might exist, but the value is gone.
The address for Metazoo Games that is still currently on their website was sold on 07/06/23. Interesting 🤔
I know someone who knows Mike and is a partner in the company, said Mike isn’t answering his phone why would he not answer
Because tons of people are pissed at him and he's losing his company. There probably aren't many people he wants to talk to right now. Especially not from his ex company.
@@Natefirethemagnets yea but a lot of people in the company don’t even know what’s going on in the first place, idk maybe this guy is really an asshole after all
If a sale was in the works or finalized and Mike did actually try to blow everything up on his way out the door you'd have to think they're going to be able to hammer him for everything he's worth. The potential monetary loss caused by that post from the standpoint of new ownership is beyond huge.
Its just so sad to see this all happen for what was a great game and idea. Hopeful for the buyout, but wonder how different the game will be if someone like Bandai buys it
what a crazy turn of events, if true
Ideally someone will pick up the IP and see what they can do with it. I hope those that are owed money are made whole in the end.
I have thinking a lot now and I actually got a little bit more positive the last hours.
I will daydream a little bit here:
The best case scenario would be if Metazoo would be bought by Bandai. They know wtf they are doing and they will release the TV show/Netflix show or what ever and they will build out the IP to something big. Of course they will make cards that look different compared to the OG Metazoo cards, but they will look very cool as well. They will release the Yokai Island set, it becomes a BANGER in Japan and Metazoo becomes very popular. People wanna play Metazoo all over the world, there will be tournaments etc. And people become very intrested in the very first "OG"Metazoo cards. Then I think the OG Metazoo cards could go up in value again. So Metazoo survives.
But this will probably never happen.
I do hope it sticks around. Upon further reflection, healthy competition is good for all tcgs. Now for Mike… what a bummer
No what I heard was that Mothman kidnapped Mike and dropped him off to get railed by Bigfoot . Allegedly
Lol. The final pump and dump for Metazoo. Trying to rip every dollar from those timmys.
Metazoo didn’t die it was killed by Discord Nazis & Mike Waddell.
So if Metazoo continues to operate under a new umbrella, like Bandai for instance. The problem would still be Andy. That's the guy that no one likes. If he's still running things I doubt anyone would come back.
I don’t see Bandai adopting the game even if it was free tbh
There's almost no chance they'll touch it. This is, as the kids would say "hopium".
Rumors sure help unload worthless stock though. Straight out of the pennystock pump-and-dump playbook.
Watched 3 times. Thanks Nick. You da best. Glad you have a new career covering TCG's instead of muscles. Grats dude.
😮 if bandai picks up metazoo will they try to get the artists back? Or hire new ones? Bandai is a big company , it has its hands in model kits , video games, and anime so maybe this was needed. But what of the artists? Did they not know (the ones that stayed). And will the art contest still go on? Idk but hey if it keeps going ill be glad but hopefully it will be a good change if all of this is true.
I can’t imagine Bandai would want a product that virtually only has North American demand and now even that demand is, like you said, severely diminished. It’s more likely that a smaller company or start up would purchase this at smaller price.
I truly hope Bandai doesn’t pickup the IP for MetaZoo. Currently playing some Bandai TCG and there are a lot of pain points right now with their printing production getting cut constantly and it’s driving up the prices of some of their games really high. I wish they’d figure out their printing issues before creating more TCGs or buying up other ones
This whole situation is just sad. This was a fun game and concept that my family really enjoyed taking part in. If the egos take a back seat and a sale happens, hopefully this fun game has a chance to come back and thrive.
Ngl i only got into metazoo like a month ago so idk about all the "lore" on why everyone hates everyone, so if its not dead and bought by bandai, im hopping right back on the train. I havent been here long enough to feel betrayed 😅
Omg this has got to be one of the most watched MetaZoo videos out there, look at the views!!! Congrats Nick!
MetaZoo has never been more alive than when it's dying. Crazy!
This video has more hits than anything actually made when Metazoo was alive
Andy has gotta go during all of this. 🙏
Fascinating stuff.
Bandai better not buy metazoo. They already have way too many games and can't print enough of their current games.
If they did in fact sell…I’m happy about it, but I do hope that more than Mike was pushed out. There were more internal issues than Mike. I love Metazoo and I think the fans are still there and will come back with Mike being gone. Many were directly banned by Mike because he’s always been sensitive and had ego problems. I’m rooting for a good and to this drama!
don't care about Mike i want the game to survive which sounds like a potential which i am okay with
Seperating creator from creation never plays out well long term.
My question. How many youtubers mentioned Metazoo since that announcement? Maybe the exposure could be helpful...
I don't quite understand the panic , if I am honest !
1/ I am not about to dump my collection (Collecting in the UK was hard enough ) , when it is obvious there is bitterness in some posts , NOT FACTS
2/ The reason I collected was because I liked the Artwork and Product - that has not and will not change.
3/ I did not follow who the hierarchy of the company was / is / may be ! , but the existing product - any changes in the future will not change my opinion of what exists .
4/ If this should end up being a bandai I don't care , I have a lot of early bandai Yugioh / pokemon (late '90's , early 2000's) which are no longer in production , but I still derive pleasure from
5/ anyone who went into Metazoo on a financial basis , are the ones most likely to be upset , this is true not only of TCG / CCG items , but runs true accross the board , Antiques , Stocks Shares - no one can predict the financial future !!!
If MetaZoo isn't dead, Andy needs to wire money to the pro players TODAY! and print and send the 3rd anniversary promos, the streamer kits, the SCP cards, and pay back every fraudulent action they have made thus far. It's like they think we don't have legal teams just waiting to file a class action against them.
This conspiracy sounds fake. But what ya’ll dont understand is that bandai is literally the biggest toy brand in all of Asia. They produce toys for the most mainstream anime-related toys.
If metazoo really is bought up by bandai, metazoo is gonna be everywhere
All of this is so juicy. I’ve been buying booster boxes all day lol
Well, if nothing else It's interesting
You put it well Nick - that this is the MetaZoo way of going out 😂
Sounds plausible, but it's most likely a total trolling. I agree that if anyone did buy it, the brand has been so badly damaged it seems like it'd be almost impossible to turn things around.
A lot of other creators have heard similar rumours , it can be a large troll but is interesting
He deleted it because he’s legally responsible to offer refunds on preorders if MetaZoo is out of business. He messed up, didn’t want to get sued and slammed with refunds from credit agencies, and deleted it.
Keep digging and put another video up! This is interesting 😅
I hope it did sell and who ever bought it brings all the artists back. Put new management in and keep the sets coming. I will buy if it doesn't veer off into B. S. Like korami
If the intent is to sell the company, this is the worst way you can possibly do it.
The damage done to the IP the last few months, and especially the last week, is so immense that you would be utterly crazy if you think there is a possibility to save this ship.
It's a wildcard if this is true..... If it's true, I'd say Mike did most/all the damage to himself. MetaZoo itself is a cool IP that I think has some legs in it going forward.... IF, managed correctly.