The History of Pure Pwnage

Pronounced Pure Ownage****

HISTORY:

Pure Pwnage was created by Geoff Lapaire and Jarett Cale whom also play the show's main protagonists. Originating in 2004, eighteen Internet-distributed episodes of the series have been released to date. In 2007, the series creators estimated their current viewer base to be over three million.[2] The series is filmed primarily in Toronto but has also included scenes filmed in Calgary, Alberta; Montreal, Quebec; Aurora, Ontario; and the Netherlands.

During an interview, director Geoff Lapaire (although as "Kyle"; Lapaire maintained his "Kyle" identity among fans and media) insisted that all of the characters on the show are not acting.[3] He suggested that the personalities on Pure Pwnage display their true-to-life abilities and eccentricities, and the characters took great pains to maintain that the Pure Pwnage world is simply an extension of the real world. Lapaire has finally admitted that they are in fact actors. The sixth fanchat with the crew was out-of-character, where the fact that the characters within Pure Pwnage are exaggerated versions of the actors was confirmed.

On August 6, 2009, it was announced that a Pure Pwnage TV series had been commissioned by Showcase.[4] Upon the announcement, many members of the Pure Pwnage fan community raised concerns. The main complaints were that the series was only announced to be airing in Canada, and the assumption that it would be changed in order to appeal to viewers not familiar with internet culture. Jarett Cale, who writes the show and plays Jeremy, tried to quell the complaints on the Pure Pwnage forums, saying "We're doing our best to get it broadcast in the USA, UK, Australia, etc., but it's really up to each country's respective broadcasters. [...] Geoff and I are still the main creative force - we're producers and writers. We've also brought on many new people with experience in traditional television to help us out both story-wise and production-wise. FPS Doug will still be there, and he will still be played by Joel Gardiner."[5] In response to a user asking if the TV series meant there would be no more web episodes, he said "Nope, it only means there's a new TV series."[6]

Despite this, the future of the web series is uncertain. Geoff Lapaire, director of all previous episodes of Pure Pwnage, left the show in September 2008 to focus on the then-unannounced TV series, and Troy Dixon, who played T-Bag in the series, died in a car accident on December 6, 2008.[7] Jarett Cale announced in January 2009 that work on the next web episode had begun, with him as the director, however the episode has not been released.[8]

In a short Livestream cast on March 15, 2010, a user posted a comment regarding the web series and Jarret replied that the web series is back in production and is in progress. He has not given out an ETA.