Critical Role Unveils Member Platform Beacon & People Are Drawing Comparisons to Watcher Controversy

Watcher’s recent controversy has folks wary of new, boutique streaming services, but the announcement and launch of Beacon from Critical Role appear to have cast True Strike on a target missed by the aforementioned Ghost Files YouTube channel.

Before Episode 94 of their ongoing Bells Hells campaign, Critical Role released a “State of the Role” video that unveiled its new member platform, Beacon. Whether or not the Critical Role team was aware of the Watcher controversy, the announcement avoided the pitfalls witnessed in the streaming scandal that unfolded on YouTube just a few weeks back.

The main takeaway is that Beacon will not change any aspect of fans’ ability to consume Critical Role content as they have been — either for free or as a paid subscriber via Twitch or YouTube. The content, release schedule, and moderated chats that Critical Role fans have grown accustomed to over the years will remain intact. Though third-party options such as Twitch and YouTube will remain available to viewers, Critical Role is offering incentives to encourage direct fan support through Beacon.

As a part of Beacon’s rollout, Critical Role has announced several new series that will be exclusive to the platform, including Critical Role Cooldown, Critical Role Abridged, and The Re-Slayer’s Take podcast. Critical Role Abridged promises a digestible crash course on almost a decade’s worth of actual play content for incoming fans (or those looking to brush up on their Exandrian history). And between the post-game reactions promised in Critical Role Cooldown and the tremendous feat of selling out Wembley Arena for the Mighty Nein Reunion, Critical Role continues to inadvertently pose the argument that tabletop roleplaying may just be a professional sport.

In addition to the audio-adventures of The Re-Slayer’s Take, Beacon subscribers will receive early access to the podcast versions of Critical Role main campaign episodes. Other benefits of Beacon include a merch discount, pre-sale access to live shows like Bells Hells upcoming Episode 98, and an invite to a member-exclusive Discord that will feed the platform’s exclusive fireside chat series.

Though many on social media and in the comments of the latest “State of the Role” namechecked Watcher, the contrast between the two rollouts was night and day. As if to further exemplify the stark distinction between these two announcements, an influx of traffic to Beacon caused temporary crashes and delays on Thursday. It seems that Critical Role is breathing the same air that Dropout was when they made the pivot from YouTube to their own independent platform.