Mega64 is, at its core, a comedy and entertainment collective that utilizes video game characters and other elements to deliver humorous and creative content. In their own way they hold a unique and significant, even if not universally recognized, place in internet history. They are important to San Diego’s Comic-Con community, consistently holding a place in the comic mecca every year. It might come as a surprise, then, that over nine months ago, the group had come out to their fans to let them know that they were experiencing financial difficulties.
Rather than staying silent, they chose transparency, letting fans in on what was going on. In turn, their community rallied behind them. People took to the internet in droves to show their support, making it clear how much Mega64 means to them, and they backed it up financially. That openness bought them time and earned even more goodwill. Now, months later, fans were ecstatic to see their internet icons return to Room 6DE for Mega64: Panel of Fallen Angels.
In true Mega64 fashion, the group of four friends, Rocco Botte, Derrick Acosta, Shawn Chatfield, and Garrett Hunter, came out to booming applause as they took to the stage. What caught my attention was immediately after as the group premiered their video: The Gamer Substance, a take on A24’s hit film The Substance.
Attendees saw the panel screens light up with Chatfield’s face as he transforms into the “ultimate gamer” after taking the substance transforming into Botte, who begins to mid max their streaming portfolio, play games, open pokemon packs, “maximize his rizz,” and more as he descends down this Cronenberg spoof complete with A24’s trailer editing and music. Leave it to Mega64 to come out with something so well edited and of movie trailer quality while also being the most unhinged thing you’ll see today–all while alongside Botte clad in a bright green Legend of Zelda shirt and Teemo hat from League of Legends.
Giant flesh monster may or may not be included….
Following that trailer, they returned to one of their continuing bits showing the second greatest video ever made: The Bookstore, a video the group had recorded long ago featuring someone staring into the camera, face unmoving and soulless right before the video ended. The crowd at this point erupted into even more cheers.
“This one is a bit controversial. We have had debates about showing this one,” Botte joked as the group moved onto the next big thing.
Acosta couldn’t help but mention that they had shot that video during the release of the fifth Harry Potter book.
They would then open up the floor to Q&A with the crowd. An attendee asked if there were any trends that they had seen in this digital landscape that from their perspective stood out. Botte would mention how he feels like he can see when a channel is going to burn out.
“You know what I mean? I would see a channel start out with these really extravagant vlogs every single day, and yeah, cool, you’re going to be done if you keep doing that. I just pick up on that burnout before other people can.”
Chatfield added, “What I’ve noticed is when these channels might be gone soon, when they go on social media and ask what it is you want to see, at that point you’re out of ideas.”
Even Acosta would join in at the end. “What I’ve noticed is that it’s always changing, as far as how the process is supposed to be. When we started, it used to be seven minutes, then that got shorter to three minutes, now 90 seconds, and now people are like video is done; people just want pictures now”.
Chatfield joked that back then, people were excited to see cameras. “Nowadays, if people see you with a camera, they just are like get that effing camera out of my face.”
The rest of the night was full of laughter, unhinged responses, and some genuine thought, which came as a surprise during a Mega64 panel; even the panelists were surprised.
Acosta even teased that the Digital Gym Cinema reached out to them and asked if they would host some screenings, mentioning something else is on the way, something big.
What stood out to me most, though, was how they took the time to let people know what they had at the show at the booth (1435), what exclusives were available, and most notably, a plug for their Patreon. They haven’t always done that, and it speaks to a real growth in how they’re thinking about their sustainability. It shows they’re not just reflecting on where they’ve been but also thinking about where they’re going and how to make sure Mega64 keeps going. If you’re at the con make sure to swing by and check them out!
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Mega64 has always thrived by doing things their own way, and now they’re bringing that same energy to how they grow and sustain what they’ve built. If this panel was any indication, the future of Mega64 isn’t just about looking back on internet history, it’s about continuing to shape it.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from SDCC ’25.
English (US) · 