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Save State 2019

Written by Austin Griffith

LevelSave began in March of 2011 as the passion project of founders Barry Villatoro, Randy Lehmkul, and soon after, former Editor-in-Chief Chris Lock. Over the years and with the help of SO MANY awesome people, LevelSave saw tremendous growth and opportunity. Groundbreaking industry insight and intense investigative efforts led us to become a known name to those in games journalism.

In that time the team changed considerably. Growing in size and gaining contributors – and friends – all along the way. Countless hours were spent writing, recording, chatting, laughing and goofing about the passions and musings of over 40 team members. Our work achieved over 1,300,000 views.

LevelSave has been represented across the globe; Everywhere from PAX Prime to PAX East; CES, NYCC, on the Red Carpet at Madison Square Garden, atop skyrise bars, at concert venues in America and Ireland, at music festivals; interviewing celebrities, developers and hackers alike, and at too many events to name.

Our travels were done not out of wanderlust, but for the love of the game.

To anyone who has visited LevelSave, to anyone who’s engaged with us or shared our content: I appreciate you.

To those of who called yourself fans of LevelSave at any point in our lifecycle – to the people like Keller Gilmore and SuperChoculator and so many others – just know that we could never have done anything close to what we achieved without your support.

To all the former LevelSave team members the LevelSave family – Barry, Chris, Randy, The Illustrious Adam Shear, Kenny, Amanda, Taryn, Chris Z, James Pope and James Rock, Matt, Maria, Karley, Nick, Quaisha, Vincent, Branden, Nelson, Christian, Philip, and everyone else – I owe you a profound thank you. I learned something from each and every one of you, and I’m proud to have been joined by such a marvelous crew for this perilous journey.

To everyone in the industry who believed in me – everyone who looked at the 16 year old kid walking around with a media badge at PAX Prime in Seattle (and to everyone who helped me get there!) and saw the passion I had; to all the PR members who granted us review codes and sponsored products; to everyone who guided me, worked with me, and put up with me as I learned the ropes (and grew up) and to everyone who put up with the only under-21 year old inside the clubs – THANK YOU.

And of course, to my friends and colleagues Timothy Wedel and Jim James George, who are some of the kindest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting: without you, LevelSave would really not exist today. Thank you.

LevelSave is not over. It may never be! Just like the love of gaming that burns deep within us all – even when life may not allow us proper time to pick up the controller – LevelSave will be here when we need it to be.

For the love of the game.

– austin griffith. owner, editor-in-chief, LevelSave.com

The LevelSave Team at PAX Prime 2012 (L-R Austin Griffith, Chris Lock, Barry Villatoro, Taryn Beach)
The LevelSave Team at PAX Prime 2012 (L-R Austin, Chris, Barry, and Taryn)

About the author

Austin Griffith

Austin Griffith owns LevelSave.com

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