Several staff leaving Giant Bomb

AJUMP23 said:
Yes but I assume Jeff made a chunk in the sale. As the other founders did as well. I assume that they all kind of cashed in and that is why they sold.
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I wouldn't count on that necessarily. It's possible, but they had backers that got Whiskey Media going, and then they sold to CBSi, and then they apparently sold to this new company. The discussions at the time made it sound like the staff didn't have too much choice about getting bought by CBS. If Jeff and co had part ownership, they surely would have lost it in the first sale.
 
I was listening to a, podcast from GB early days. Before the death, and people leaving...

And it has always felt off after that. Jeff has not sounded passionate about much of anything for a decade.

And it feels like his friends have stuck around. But he is having a Second kid, and everyone is no longer feeling sorry for anyone.

Just what an amazing run that group of ten had.

With the exception of Patrick. He joke kicked a teenager, who was totally not all there. He picked on a Re.. No reason to continue.

But he did grow up. He we t to college and did some racist stuff, but it was at a party and.....

And... His entire career is about putting the idea out there, and leaving it to the accused to defend themself.
 
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I hope they improve, wont be difficult if they can stop the virtue signalling seizures from spewing over everything that they produce.
 
This place obsesses far more about politics than GB do. I have moaned a lot about Jeff and the crew in the past but the only dudes who brought up politics were Alex occasionally and Austin who left ages ago. And yes, Abby was terrible - as was Ben. But they've gone. Yet you still go on (and on and on and on) about them. And this is coming from someone who was banned from the Giant Bomb sub reddit for saying the quality of their content has been in decline for ages, so I'm not part of 'the cult'.

The GB guys were all left leaning but so what? Does politics have to rear it's head in every single thread here? It's boring and it's why I rarely post at the Gaf these days. People are allowed to have their political stance - deal with it. I come here for gaming talk, and most of you are really interesting, funny posters. But the politics, man. Jesus. Find another place to talk about that shit.

I'm really sad about this news. The internet is a better place with Giant Bomb rather than without it. I wish them all the best of luck.
 
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Brute said:
Really? Jeff and the team have played a big role in gaming media for many of us over the years.
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I apologize. I only know the name Giant Bomb, though, not the guys behind it. Has Alanah Pearce ever been involved ?
 
Even though I gave up listening to them a while ago, still sucks to see vinny and to a lesser extent Brad go. The east coast side of GB is all but dead now and on the west all you've is Jeff and two of the most boring people on the planet. They really need to bring in some new blood fast or GB as a whole is doomed, if it isn't already.
 
Brute said:
Really? Jeff and the team have played a big role in gaming media for many of us over the years.
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Times change man. For some of us here Jeff Gerstmann's name has a big meaning and he represented a future-thinking individual who gave hard-hitting reviews in a land where everyone thought magazines would live on forever. But there's an entire generation of grown people out there who don't even know who he is and nor do they care. It's crazy that Jeff and crew even kept up with changing tides this long. The same will eventually happen to EZA, who I look to with the same reverence, but at least their fans are currently giving them their flowers now. I feel bad for GB staff because even now, all their fans do is complain about the past. Who knows if they'll even reminisce about them when they're gone.
 
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Haven't been on the site in years but man the memories.....couldn't wait for the Bombcasts to drop, Endurance Run, etc. Sad but yeah pretty much a sign of the times. I wish the best for all of them and am thankful for the years of quality entertainment.
 
Say what you want about GB over the last few years (I agree, it hasn't exactly been great) but they've put out a ridiculous amount of great content throughout their time. For a good chunk (probably 2009-2016 or so) the bombcast was THE gaming podcast I listened to.

Interested in seeing how Jeff pivots things or if he decides to throw in the towel. Honestly, if I were Jeff, I would use this as an opportunity to change the focus of GB to retro stuff. Jeff obviously still has tons of passion for weird/obscure retro games and I'm sure they could come up with some good stuff if they shifted their focus to that. One of the reasons I stopped listening to the bombcast was the fact that no one seemed to actually enjoy playing modern games.

It would be cool if Vinny, Brad, and Alex just started their own Patreon or something.
 
I don't understand the hate. I've been listening to the Giant Bombcast since early 2012 and the Beastcast since it began. Both have been weekly listens for me for years. Yes things went a little off the boil when Ryan died and there have been some questionable hires/opinions...but as a gaming podcast it has been solidly entertaining. I for one will miss Brad, Vinny and Alex. The Beastcast in particular has been excellent in recent times, this is a huge loss to my weekly podcast schedule. I wish the departing all the best and hope Gerstmann can bring it round in their absence.
 
JeremyEtcetera said:
Times change man. For some of us here Jeff Gerstmann's name has a big meaning and he represented a future-thinking individual who gave hard-hitting reviews in a land where everyone thought magazines would live on forever. But there's an entire generation of grown people out there who don't even know who he is and nor do they care. It's crazy that Jeff and crew even kept up with changing tides this long. The same will eventually happen to EZA, who I look to with the same reverence, but at least their fans are currently giving them their flowers now. I feel bad for GB staff because even now, all their fans do is complain about the past. Who knows if they'll even reminisce about them when they're gone.
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What is EZA?
 
Brute said:
What is EZA?
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Easy Allies. The guys who used to run gametrailers(along with the voiceover guy) and are known amongst multiple industry leaders and are great friends with game awards host Geoff Keighley.

Edit: I hope you see the irony in you asking who they are lol.
 
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Vier said:
I apologize. I only know the name Giant Bomb, though, not the guys behind it. Has Alanah Pearce ever been involved ?
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You might be thinking of funhaus.. another gaming channel that was unparalleled in it's hey day but had now lost too many core members to be recognisable.
 
BigBooper said:
I wouldn't count on that necessarily. It's possible, but they had backers that got Whiskey Media going, and then they sold to CBSi, and then they apparently sold to this new company. The discussions at the time made it sound like the staff didn't have too much choice about getting bought by CBS. If Jeff and co had part ownership, they surely would have lost it in the first sale.
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My understanding is that CBS sold off giant bomb and I think Gamespot and took a bath on both. I don't remember who they sold it to, but I'm pretty sure they sold them last year
 
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The sad fact is that dedicated video game websites, especially those that are primarily personality driven, have been dying for a decade. I'm sure the pandemic exacerbated it, but the writing was on the wall years ago. All of them knew it was inevitable. Jeff has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to internet media. He and Ryan virtually invented the idea of dumb internet videos when he was at Gamespot. Every single function sites like giant bomb and game spot used to serve are now the domain of YouTube channels, Twitch streams, podcasts, and even fucking Twitter. It's a billion times more content seamlessly delivered by ubiquitous, platform agnostic tech backed by multi-billion dollar corporations. It was never NOT going to happen. Video games fit neatly into the current corporate tech hellscape because they've always been about tech and money.

I guess this is my eulogy for Giant Bomb then. I'm a few years younger than Jeff, so for me, he's always been that cool loner upperclassman that skipped school to do cool nerd shit. I followed his career at least as long as his first few years at GameSpot. When they shit canned Jeff for being brutally honest about Kane & Lynch, I thought "wow, this guy actually has integrity." Never mind that he and Ryan were doing internet video in the late '90s when nobody knew what the fuck that was. I was thrilled to learn that Brad and the others left Game Spot to go join what would eventually become Giant Bomb. Up until Ryan's death, I don't think anyone else produced better content about video games than that site. Their podcast was a weekly event I never missed.

And then Ryan died. It was fucking terrible. They moved on, but I'm sorry, it wasn't the same. their content got more serious. Political correctness stopped them from doing edgy humor altogether. And as you get older, you still love video games, but you can't convince yourself anymore that you aren't wasting time playing them. Priorities do change. You're more emotionally numb, your expectations are lower, and even good video games have less value and relevance in your life.

So economics, the proliferation of social media, age, and an internet no longer willing to tolerate dick and fart jokes did them in. I could go on and on about who they hired, but it's water under the bridge. During the past 3 years, it became increasingly obvious Jeff and Brad were mailing it in. The pandemic just let them get away with it for a year longer than they should have.

I can't imagine being entertained by a better thing in the 2000s or early teens. But all of us that enjoyed giant bomb now have gray hair everywhere, teenage kids, and managerial responsibilities at work. We grew up and now they have to as well.
 
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I feel the same way as when 1UP.com died. The lead guy Sam Kennedy tired to keep 1UP and its content alive for a bit after all the staff left. But we all knew it was dead. I think Gerstman knows it too. But he has obligations to the remaining staff and company. And now he has the uncomfortable job of telling remaining staff and customers everything will work out...

It is a bit sad. But nothing lasts forever. I wish them the best.
 
Unsubbed from their yt channel. Its way to sad to see the lights go out little by little throughout the next few months. Shouldve listen to the critics on this one.
 
I agree that the spark was gone with the death of Ryan Davis... I literally wept when I heard that podcast.

The episodes that followed I felt like I was grieving with them.. and honestly no matter how much time passed and whoever came and went.. I never stopped missing him and what he brought to the bomb.

On the other hand, it makes me grateful that "last podcast on the left" is ten years old and still going strong as ever and I highly recommend to anyone needing that void filled with the magic brilliance they was early giant bomb.. just wish topics centered more around horror and true crime.



For gaming podcasts I can't believe nobody has even mentioned "the computer game show" 😳

These mad lads have been at it for longer than GB (if you count their older shows like Midnight Resistance, Joypod and the OG -Dark Zero) they introduced me to giant bomb and their still going b at 250 episodes on their recent incarnation. Still bring with chaotic energy, complete disregard for playing to political correctness, and most of all... Passion for gaming and genuine chemistry with one another.

It may not be for everyone but here's a sample


As for comedy, Sean Bell (my favourite podcaster since I started listening to the damn things and the founder of dark zero and co host of TCGS) also introduced me to my 2nd favorite podcast of all time : Regular Features
https://m.soundcloud.com/regularfeatures

They have managed to make over 450 episodes of consistently brilliant and daring improvisational and organic comedy for bloody ages and deserve much more attention. And yes, they all come from a background of writing for videogames, done are even active staff on ign ( the brilliant Joe Screbles) and John 'Log' Blythe who used to write for xbox but now runs a pub in nottingham.

This post is long enough.. if there are any fans of the epic teams above please feel free to share your thoughts, I think more people could benefit from knowing about them now more than ever.

I'm out

🤘
 
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Carna said:
All this fascination with fat game jornos whom outgrown games and caved into trends smh
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For many of us these were para social relationships that grew from countlesss hours in rush hour, work, commuting, doing household chores and even just a pick me up when we were in our darkest places.

We may have outgrown them as much as they outgrew themselves, but we should never disregard the impact people have had on our lives, whether they knew it or not.
 
JeremyEtcetera said:
Yes, it was the content. It has nothing to do with the politics as stated above. They had a big dip when Ryan left, a gigantic dip in content after Dan and Drew left, and an even further dip when the pandemic hit, and an even further hit when Abby left. THAT is the real reason myself and people I knew unsubbed, not the politics bullshit being spouted here. We didn't care about that. As long as the content was good and original that's what mattered. It dried up.

Now that we're past this, I'm hoping someone can provide more news and context as to the OPs info.
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100%
Brute said:
The GB guys were all left leaning but so what? Does politics have to rear it's head in every single thread here? It's boring and it's why I rarely post at the Gaf these days. People are allowed to have their political stance - deal with it. I come here for gaming talk, and most of you are really interesting, funny posters. But the politics, man. Jesus. Find another place to talk about that shit.
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Hell I became much more left leaning in the past 5 years. Yes I never left for the Reee BS and the stories of all the banning and in fighting there bears out that it was the right call to stay. That said, at the same time it gets eye rolling wading through the same right-leaning tag lines. 100% I'm here to hear about games and the gaming industry.

like giant bomb I'm here to supplant the loss of gaming friends as I get older.
 
I may have fallen off of their content for the most part in the last couple years after being a huge fan, but I still would listen to the bombcast here and there. News certainly sucks and I have big doubts about Jeff rescuing the sinking ship.
 
Javthusiast said:
I may have fallen off of their content for the most part in the last couple years after being a huge fan, but I still would listen to the bombcast here and there. News certainly sucks and I have big doubts about Jeff rescuing the sinking ship.
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I'm not super confident either that Jeff will turn it around, but who knows. This move might reinvigorate Jeff. If they are in fact going to be bringing in more guests or outside people, I think that's probably a good thing.
 
It appears that Danny O'Dwyer, Jeff Bakalar and Jeff Gerstmann are the 3 guys who are going to focus on a new direction for GB.

From what I can gather, it's got nothing to do with the new Red Ventures ownership and that Alex, Vinny and Brad didn't feel they could agree with Jeff's vision for the future of the site hence them deciding to respectfully part ways.

The next move will probably be make or break for Jeff and the remaining staff. I wish them the very best of luck and hopefully we will be getting a new, fresh GB in the near future. There are rumours of a new San Francisco based studio and the return of a sofa and everything being personality based again rather than the strange meta angle the site had adapted in recent times.

I'm excited for what comes next from GB but it's blind optimism more than anything.
 
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Brute said:
There are rumours of a new San Francisco based studio and the return of a sofa and everything being personality based again rather than the strange meta angle the site had adapted in recent times.
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That is interesting. Do we have an example of what you're saying to go on?

if we are on a couch focused I feel there is a chance for great things. However, commenting about the game in front of them vs the industry at large doesn't bother me. I'm old and consume less games anyway so if they can clue me into 3–7 games a year I hadn't heard of but the rest of the time just share friendship that is what I would sign up for.

Also if Vinny and Alex aren't interested in stuff like "steal my sunshine" or "breaking bras" type of content then it's probably best to allow a respectful goodbye.
 
Brute said:
It appears that Danny O'Dwyer, Jeff Bakalar and Jeff Gerstmann are the 3 guys who are going to focus on a new direction for GB.

From what I can gather, it's got nothing to do with the new Red Ventures ownership and that Alex, Vinny and Brad didn't feel they could agree with Jeff's vision for the future of the site hence them deciding to respectfully part ways.

The next move will probably be make or break for Jeff and the remaining staff. I wish them the very best of luck and hopefully we will be getting a new, fresh GB in the near future. There are rumours of a new San Francisco based studio and the return of a sofa and everything being personality based again rather than the strange meta angle the site had adapted in recent times.

I'm excited for what comes next from GB but it's blind optimism more than anything.
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Hope this is true. Rather the one in my head where they pivot to movies and tv.
 
teezzy said:
Hopefully there's free content as well

I should check out that Ryckert and Kish podcast some day
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There's a free podcast episode up on Apple Podcasts right now, and I'd assume on other podcatchers. Not sure what that means going forward, though.
 
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Giant Bomb's content is so tedious now. Jeff without Alex, Brad, Vinny etc just doesn't work.

I just watched a bit of the most recent Bombcast and it consists of Jeff G & Jeff B talking loud and Jan & Jason just sitting there in silence.

It all feels so forced now and I'm not sure Jeff even wants to do it now. I wouldn't bother, I'd call it a day and maybe just stream old games on twitch a few times a week and make a fortune on there.
 
feels like twilight times for GB, sadly. I hope the new crew can turn it around but the content is very thin these days and it's tough to justify continuing to subscribe. and the personalities of the current staff just aren't as entertaining.

Now doesn't feel like the time for Jeff to have to reimagine or reinvent anything. His priority is very clearly his family, as it should be, but he doesn't have a deep bench to rely on while his focus is elsewhere. Sifting through the junk in your garage can't be your lead video series.
 
I think Bakular could build something good, but he needs the ability to add personalities. I had quit listening to everything on GB but the Beastcast, and I moved over to nextlander. I would prefer Bakular on Nextlander and let GB finally explode.
 
The Nextlander stuff is interesting. Their highest viewed vid on youtube is 39k while more than 11,000 are Patrons. They have a very dedicated core group of fans, but not much beyond that it seems.

Guess even a small-sized audience is enough to make you rich as long as they're simping hard for you.
 
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O-N-E said:
The Nextlander stuff is interesting. Their highest viewed vid on youtube is 39k while more than 11,000 are Patrons. They have a very dedicated core group of fans, but not much beyond that it seems.

Guess even a small-sized audience is enough to make you rich as long as they're simping hard for you.
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I don't think they are rich, but they are doing better than they were as GB employees. I do think they have to have some growth as I don't know that they can maintain the same 12k userbase forever.
 
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