All Activity

Hey everyone! You might have noticed a bit of a slowdown in our article output lately — and no, we haven’t lost our keyboard shortcuts. 😉 We’re currently updating our entire news article system, and while that means a temporary dip in activity, it's all for an excellent cause. So, what’s going on? We’re revamping the way we publish content across Uncrowned Empire and all our network sites to: ⚙️ Improve efficiency behind the scenes 📰 Boost article quality with cleaner formatting, better tagging, and tighter editorial workflow 🔓 Increase openness around how we create, publish, and promote our content 🎥 Support future Content Creator roles with a system designed for collaboration 📢 Supercharge our social media output to get our best stories in front of more eyes This update is part of our broader mission to ensure that when we do publish, it’s with purpose, clarity, and value. We’ll have more details to share soon, but we wanted to keep you informed while things are in motion. Thanks for your patience, and as always, thank you for being part of the Uncrowned community. Stay tuned! — The Uncrowned Empire Team

We're proud to share another step in our mission to build a cleaner, more community-focused web: affiliate link generation has now been disabled for registered users across all Uncrowned Empire sites. 🧾 What This Means: ✅ Only visitors (non-logged-in users) will see standard links converted into affiliate links. ✅ Registered users will no longer see: Affiliate link tracking (via Sovrn Commerce) AdSense advertisements Third-party ad scripts or tracking ✅ User-submitted affiliate links are untouched. If you share a valid affiliate link yourself, it will remain intact and unaltered. ✅ Hard-coded affiliate links are also not affected by this change, as they are simply posted as links, and we have no reason to try to remove user-posted links. Why Are We Doing This? We're committed to giving our registered community the experience they deserve — one without trackers, popups, or clutter. This builds on our earlier move to disable AdSense ads for all logged-in users, and it's part of our larger belief that a logged-in member shouldn't be treated like a product. You’re part of our community, and that matters more than clicks. But Don’t Worry — We’re Still Supporting the Empire This update simply shifts monetization efforts to visitors who aren’t logged in. It allows us to maintain a baseline of support while giving our active members a cleaner, privacy-first experience. If you're passionate about what we're doing and want to go the extra mile, we’re always open to Supporter memberships, volunteering, and sharing our content. Thank you for being part of this experiment in doing the web differently. No paywalls. No clickbait. Just community. — The Uncrowned Empire Team

We’ve just added another useful YouTube tool to our collection — the YouTube OG Image & Thumbnail Fetcher! This tool makes it simple to grab the official thumbnail (also known as the Open Graph image) from any YouTube video. These are the same images YouTube uses for previews when you share a video on social media or embed it elsewhere. 🔧 Key Features Fetch Thumbnails Instantly → Paste a YouTube video link or video ID and get the thumbnail in seconds. Multiple Sizes Available → View max-resolution, SD, HQ, MQ, or default versions. Direct URL & Download → Copy the image URL for embeds or download the JPG straight to your device. Supports All Formats → Works with watch links, Shorts, embed links, and even raw video IDs. ✅ Why use it? Sometimes you just need a quick thumbnail for reference, a project, or to see how a video appears when shared. This tool gives you direct access without the need for third-party services — it all comes straight from YouTube’s own servers. 👉 Try it out here: YouTube OG Image & Thumbnail Fetcher We hope this helps creators, community members, and anyone who works with YouTube content. As always, let us know what you think and what other tools you’d like to see added!

We’re excited to roll out a brand-new addition to our media tools: the YouTube Ad-Free Playlist Player! This tool lets you paste any YouTube playlist link (or even just the playlist ID) and play it back in a clean, continuous player right here on Uncrowned Addiction. It works for music mixes, educational series, or binge-worthy video collections. ✨ Key Features Ad-Free Playback (via YouTube embed) → Ads are handled entirely by YouTube’s official embed player. We don’t block ads — we simply rely on how YouTube serves content through embeds, which often results in a cleaner experience. Simple Setup → Just paste your playlist link or ID, hit Play Playlist, and you’re good to go. Seamless Viewing → Enjoy your videos without jumping back and forth to YouTube’s interface. Mobile & Desktop Ready → Fully responsive and works across devices. 🔧 How It Works Copy a playlist link from YouTube (example: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=YOUR_ID_HERE). Paste it into the input box on the tool page. Click Play Playlist and enjoy! 👉 Try it now: YouTube Ad-Free Playlist Player We think this will be a great companion to our YouTube Looper and Embed Creator tools, giving you even more flexibility in how you watch and share content. Give it a spin and let us know what you think — feedback is always welcome! — The Uncrowned Addiction Team

We're excited to announce the long-awaited return of Debate of the Month — Uncrowned Addiction's signature monthly debate series, where we dive headfirst into the biggest, boldest, and most controversial topics shaping the tech world. 🔥 What’s New? Each debate will now include an interactive poll so you can weigh in instantly and see how the community stands. We're also continuing to feature these debates in our Uncrowned Debates Facebook group, so the discussion doesn’t stop at the site — it carries into our broader online community. This is your chance to share your perspective, challenge the status quo, and spark meaningful conversations in a space that values open and respectful dialogue. 🎤 This Month’s Topic: “Should Payment Processors Decide What Digital Content Is Allowed?” From demonetized creators to platforms losing access to major payment systems, this topic touches on free speech, censorship, corporate power, and digital ethics, and we want to hear what you think. Cast your vote in the poll and jump into the conversation — and don’t hold back. That’s what Debate of the Mouth is all about. 📍 Join the debate now on Uncrowned Addiction 📱 Also featured in the Uncrowned Debates Facebook Group Let the debates begin. 💬

We’re excited to announce that CodyCool has officially joined the Uncrowned Gaming staff team! CodyCool brings a wealth of experience from his time across various online forums and has long been recognized as a supportive and reliable community presence. We’re proud to welcome him as part of our growing team and to have his energy and enthusiasm contributing to the future of Uncrowned Gaming. 🕹 What to Expect As a member of the Uncrowned Gaming staff, CodyCool will be helping foster conversations, support new members, and shape the evolving direction of our community — which focuses on party-based RPGs, tactical warfare games, and deep gameplay discussions. His presence will be a great asset as we continue to grow a platform built on community-first principles and a love for strategy-driven gaming. Please join us in welcoming CodyCool to the team — and stay tuned as we continue building something great, together. — The Uncrowned Empire Team

We’re thrilled to announce that Revolved101 has officially joined the Uncrowned Addiction staff team! Revolved101 is no stranger to the online community world — he's been a valued contributor and supporter across numerous forums over the years. His experience, positive attitude, and dedication to building meaningful discussions make him a fantastic addition to the Uncrowned Empire family. 💡 What This Means As part of the Uncrowned Addiction staff, Revolved101 will be helping support and grow our tech-focused community — from self-hosting and right-to-repair conversations to user-driven tools and collaborative learning. We’re excited to have him with us as we continue shaping Uncrowned Addiction into a welcoming space for all who believe in digital freedom and user empowerment. Please join us in giving Revolved101 a warm welcome — and stay tuned for more community updates as we grow! — The Uncrowned Empire Team

We’re incredibly proud to announce that Shortie has officially returned to the Uncrowned staff team, joining both Uncrowned Addiction and Uncrowned Gaming as a key member of our community support efforts. 🤝 A Familiar Face With Unshakable Dedication Shortie has long been a valued member of our community — not only for her previous staff work, but also for her continued presence and support even during times when our team structure was inactive. Through the quiet times and rebuilding phases, she’s remained a positive, reliable voice in our forums, and her return comes with excitement and appreciation from the entire team. 🎯 Looking Ahead As we continue to grow and refine the Uncrowned Empire project, we’re thrilled to have Shortie helping shape that future. Her experience, insight, and care for the community are exactly what we need as we build something worth believing in. Please join us in welcoming her back — and stay tuned for more updates as we move forward, together. — The Uncrowned Empire Team

As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and team-centered growth, Uncrowned Empire is officially retiring the Community Lead role across all of our sites. This change affects Uncrowned Gaming, Uncrowned Addiction, and any future platforms under the Empire banner. 🤝 A Team-First Approach We’re making this change to reinforce something that’s always been part of our core philosophy: our strength comes from collaboration, not titles. Going forward, all community staff will simply be referred to as: Gaming Staff Addiction Staff Armory Staff (as applicable) There will be no “lead” position within each group. Instead, all staff members will share responsibilities and decision-making equally — as peers, not subordinates. 💬 Why We’re Doing This In the early stages of rebuilding Uncrowned Empire, the Community Lead role helped us stay organized during quiet times. But as we move into a new phase — one built on shared effort and mutual support — we believe flattening our structure is the right call. We’re not building a hierarchy. We’re building a team — one where every voice matters, and everyone moves forward together. 🌐 A Note on Cross-Site Roles This also helps unify our staff across sites: All staff are equals, regardless of which site they serve on. Team members are welcome to request moderation access or dual roles on other sites at any time. We trust our staff — and we want them to feel empowered, not boxed in by titles. ❤️ Thank You to Our Staff (Past and Present) We’re incredibly grateful to those who stepped up as Community Leads during our earlier stages. Your support helped us get here — and while the role may be gone, your contributions remain invaluable. We’re excited about the future, and we believe this change will only make our foundation stronger. Here’s to building something real — together. — The Uncrowned Empire Team

📢 More Details: Uncrowned Empire Community Staff Revenue Sharing Thank you to everyone who’s expressed interest in helping build Uncrowned Empire’s communities! We wanted to share more details about how our revenue-sharing offer works, along with some important notes on legal and practical considerations. ✅ Uncrowned Empire, LLC: A Real Company First and foremost: Uncrowned Empire, LLC is a real, registered company. While we’re a small business with humble earnings, we take our transparency and obligations seriously. 🛡 You Will Not Be an Employee Community Leads, Moderators, and Content Writers will not be employees of Uncrowned Empire, LLC. These roles are volunteer/independent contributor positions, meaning you decide when and how you contribute. There are no required hours, schedules, or quotas. This distinction helps us all avoid complex tax and labor law issues — and gives you flexibility to engage at your own pace. 💰 Reporting Your Income If you receive payments from Uncrowned Empire, you are responsible for reporting your earnings to your local tax authorities, just as you would with any hobby income or freelance work. In the US, hobby income must generally be reported on your tax return, regardless of the amount. Outside the US, please follow your country’s reporting requirements. We do not report your earnings to any tax service or government. (You do you) We’ll keep things transparent by posting quarterly income reports to our staff area so you know exactly what the sites and staff have earned. 📅 How Payments Work We currently earn revenue from: AdSense (banner ads) Sovrn Commerce (affiliate programs) Both services have payout thresholds of around $100 — meaning we only receive money from them when accumulated earnings reach those amounts. Therefore: ✅ Payments to community staff will only be issued once a payout actually occurs. ✅ After each quarter ends, we’ll post our income statement to the staff area. Once a payout has happened and the earnings are finalized, staff payments will be issued after that quarter is reported. ✅ Expected income right now: virtually $0–$0/month, but we’re building for the long term. 🔄 Staff Changes & Payments Leaving on good terms? You’ll receive payment for the entire last quarter you worked (if there’s a payout) to the best of our ability. Removed for serious misconduct? We may withhold your last payment — e.g., if you were banned for breaking site rules or causing harm to the community. Our goal is fairness, but also protecting the community’s integrity. 📢 Transparency About Sponsorships You might notice we offer ad sponsorships in our store. In reality, we’ve never sold one — and going forward, we’ll likely drop individual ad sales entirely and instead partner with sponsors or communities in other ways. Regardless, if we do take any sponsorship deals: ✅ Staff will be informed of the terms ✅ We’ll do our best to provide staff their fair share, likely matching the split we use for AdSense and Sovrn Commerce. 🌐 What About Other Income Sources? Off-site income — like YouTube monetization, Meta’s content programs, or other social platforms — isn’t a factor at this time. We’re simply too small. If we ever reach a point where social media generates revenue: We’ll reassess how it fits into our system. We’ll likely have a dedicated social media team by then with its own revenue-sharing or compensation model. Staff will always be informed of major changes well in advance. 📝 A Final Word We want to be clear: 🚫 This is not a get-rich-quick opportunity. ✅ This is a chance to help build a passionate community with transparency and fairness at its core. If you have more questions or concerns, we’re here. Thank you for considering being part of something special. Ready to join or learn more? Reach out on Uncrowned Gaming or Uncrowned Addiction, message us via social media, or send an email. Let’s build a better community together!