Two years ago today, I clicked a button – rather anticlimactically – to turn on the servers of The Loadout for the first time. I don’t know what I expected to happen at the time really, but all it did was allow you all to find this lime green website for the first time.
We popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate, hoping that the influx of visitors wouldn’t break anything too major on the site. It didn’t, but the champagne did go to our head, and Jamie and myself spent the rest of our day muddling around tipsily, trying to write news.
That’s not something that happens every day and it’s something I’ll forever cherish. Up until then, The Loadout had been a distant dream for both myself and the company and it’s remarkable to think that we’re now closing the door on the site’s second year.
Since last year, quite a lot has changed. We’ve successfully navigated running a relatively new site in a global pandemic and pivoted to including more console games in our coverage. The team has also changed quite considerably too – with Jamie being promoted to Deputy Editor and Joe and Aaron joining us as our dedicated staff writers.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is our commitment to bringing you the best news, features, guides, and reviews day in, day out. We can always do more, but I’m very proud of our efforts in what has been a tough year.
From in-depth interviews on the world of Apex Legends to toxicity in the streaming world, and news on the world of esports and game development, we’ve got it all. However, from the countless pieces over the 12 months, I’d like to highlight a few below, so please give them a read if you can:
- Life after North: How MCD won its first Apex Legends tournament without an organisation
- Rainbow Six Siege caster Jess wants accountability after toxicity forces her to stop streaming
- Meet Legendary117s, the Call of Duty: Warzone player with the most kills
- Reliving Twitch Plays Pokémon: the social experiment which birthed a religion
- Deathloop review – remarkable repetition
I’m forever in awe of the hard work of my colleagues, especially for a team of this size, and I hope you are too. However, there’s more work to be done and more growth to be had, so expect to see plenty more of us in the next 12 months.
As ever, I’d like to end by thanking you, our loyal readers, for standing by us and supporting our work. We couldn’t do what we do without you and we’re determined on making The Loadout bigger and better.
Watch this space.