For those of you who don’t know, KingsIsle Live is the monthly livestream where KingsIsle shares news about all of our games, MMO and mobile. To celebrate our 10^th anniversary, we asked Tom and Leah (prolific KI Live hosts) what their 10 favorite KI Live moments are.

Today’s post is a top 10 list from the man himself, Tom Purdue! He sent over his favorite moments and his explanations for why they’re his favorites. We’ve added links so you don’t have to hunt through hours and hours of KingsIsle Live. Get ready to laugh, cry, and… who am I kidding? You’ll mostly be laughing!

1.     The Blooper Reel from our Early Days on KI Live

Ahh the good ol’ days when Leala handled all the technical aspects of running the show and all I needed to do was show up and act goofy.

2.     A Look Into the Air Ducts

I love that this segment started as honest curiosity and a bit of inventiveness from the Marketing Artist and myself. We wanted to know what it looked like in the air ducts, so we rigged up a way to “selfie stick” my camera up there to find out. After we were done we joked about how funny it would be to make a jump scare out of it. All it took was a quick email to Damon.

3.     Tom and Leah Show Off the New Office

We had just moved into the new building and finding a place to film that was as unobtrusive as possible was a bit of a challenge.  This led to an Andy Sandberg-esque skit where we just showed people around the office. I’ll never forget the looks on our coworker’s faces as we “popped into scene” randomly that day.

4.     KI Live with Damon

I couldn’t have been happier to give Damon the spotlight. He helps us so much with great video productions at KingsIsle that it was fun to flip the camera on him.

5.     Vanessa’s Keyboard Slamming Skills

Well known are the Pet Derby skills of Vanessa Mythdust!  We’ve watched her defeat me on several occasions of KI Live, but I’ll never forget her “Fingers of Fury” live in the KingsIsle office. You can actually see the vibrations in the camera as she worked her magic!

6.     TROLL!

I wish we would have used this gag more!

7.     Dancing in Empyrea

Damon and I call this trick the “Tom Bergeron” gag as an homage to when they’d put Tom Bergeron’s head over other people on America’s Funniest Home Video. It turned out better than we expected.

8.     Street Fighting at SXSW

SXSW gaming was such an amazing chance to meet up with you all, share what’s coming up for KingsIsle, and for me to show off my sick Street Fighter skills. GG Leah, GG.

9.     Turret Boss Mayhem

I love a little chaos, and what better way to bring chaos than to use my special server commands to drop some turrets in Pirate101 Ship PVP?

10.   Krampus or Claus?

I can’t pass up the chance to be a game show host, which is why I loved filming our Krampus or Claus segment.

KI Live day is a favorite day in the KingsIsle office. Filming new segments, revealing new and exciting things in our games, and chatting with the community live are the best parts of our job! We love being able to share these moments with you and would love to hear what your favorite KI Live moment is in the comments!

Wizards,

With the game’s 10th Anniversary approaching, we are excited to announce that Wizard101 is coming to Steam! If you haven’t played the game yet and are eager to check it out, and already have Steam, you’ll get the chance very soon to join fellow Wizards from around the world!

We are expanding the game’s reach to Steam to give the vast pool of dedicated Steam users the opportunity to play the game on their own platform. Steam also provides a special Community Hub that will allow our community to share their unique content. You’ll be able to post your screenshots, fanart, broadcasts, and more directly in the Community Hub.

For existing Wizards already in the game, please know that Steam accounts are distinct from your existing accounts. Your current account cannot be merged with your Steam account or transferred to Steam. If you wish to play through Steam, you will have to create a new Wizard101 account through Steam’s platform.

Regardless of where your account was created, everyone will end up playing on the same servers and be able to meet each other in-game. Gear up to show our newest students around the Spiral and prepare them for their new adventures!

For questions about Wizard101 coming to Steam and account differences, please see the Official Wizard101 Steam FAQ or ask your questions in the Steam Community Hub.

As always, we are happy to help you with game account support needs at support@wizard101.com. For Steam specific support needs, such as for your Steam Wallet, Steam account login access, game download technical issues on Steam, etc., please first contact Steam’s customer support.

We look forward to seeing new Wizards joining The Spiral from the Steam community!

Throughout the years, KingsIsle has been honored to help Make-A-Wish in their ongoing mission to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.  This summer, a few members of our team got involved in a brand new way: raising money and rappelling 32 stories in the heart of downtown Austin.

Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas holds a fundraiser every year called Over the Edge. Anyone can join a team to raise money, but the first 200 participants to raise $1,500 get to actually go over the edge, rappelling down the side of 600 Congress.

Each team member put in hard work to raise the funds. Russell’s approach was mostly on social media: “People are swarmed these days with SM charitable requests, but there are still givers out there!”

Dave’s approach was also social focused, with weekly social media posts asking friends and family to support him. According to Dave, “It was really inspiring to see people from all parts of my life chip in and send messages of support. My Mom & Step Mom both offered to donate more if I would promise not to do it.”

Speaking of parents, Oliver’s experience was definitely a heartwarming one: “Three days after I sent my donation link to a few people, I received an email saying I was half way there. Then, just a few minutes later I received another e-mail saying ‘congratulations.’ I burst into tears when I saw that my dad and step mum had put $750 each into it.”

The whole office also came together to hold an employee-run bake sale. “We held a large bake sale for the whole building, and it was a huge success!” said Renee. “I fumbled around in Photoshop to make a poster to advertise. Team members pitched in with their specialty baked goods and even purchased others to try out. It was a great time!” Those “Tasty treats” from the employee-run bake sale led to “fantastic feats” and raised over $2,200 in one sale!

By the end of the fundraising period, our intrepid team of seven raised $6,700 and was a top 12 fundraising team. Four team members raised the required $1,500 to rappel 32 stories down the side of a building:

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to rappel down the side of a building, you’re in luck! Here’s what each of our team members had to say about the experience:

Renee: “It was terrifying.”

Oliver: “There were three stages to it. One was the illogical process of pulling up the weight of 200ft of rope WHILST pulling a lever back to lower yourself  so you could begin descending – which was a horrible part for me. Two was the descent itself, which was invigorating, impeccable, and immense. Three was the lasting feeling that I still carry with to this day of the adrenaline and empowering sense of completion of such a very nerve wracking experience.”

Russell: “Honestly I’m super adventurous, but heights had never been something that excited me. This experience helped a bit. Getting over that edge is the hardest part.”

Dave: “[It was] scarier than I expected. I went skydiving for the first time this year and this was much more terrifying. Felt amazing to hit the bottom and know I’d made it.”

Once they set foot on land again, the team got to celebrate with Make-A-Wish kids, which was Renee and Russell’s favorite part. For both Dave and Oliver, working together as a team to make a difference was their favorite part.

Will the team do it again next year? Dave mentioned that he’s a “sucker for a good cause” and “could totally be talked into it again.” Renee, on the other hand, “would raise more money, but [would] give the rappelling opportunity to someone else.” Oliver and Russell were more inclined to rappel again, but Oliver noted he’d want some time before doing it again.

This was an incredible process to watch from start to finish, and KingsIsle is so excited to continue helping Make-A-Wish change lives and make dreams come true. For ways that you can get involved, click here.