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GameTrailers to close after 13 years

Wow that's sudden and a shock.

I must admit I've never been on the site for many years, maybe other than the odd link or whatever, but never for anymore. They used to be my goto site years ago and used them a lot for E3 live and their coverage. However I guess the likes of Youtube superseded them for all that.

Sad day though.
 

ranmafan

Member
A shame, a damn shame. In the past year I had really gotten to enjoy so much the work they had done. GT Time has been awesome, the Final Bosman was just a joy to watch every week, and they always came out with just fun great gaming videos. I think honestly, their live video of their reactions to the Sony press conference and the joy they showed in those moments we all remember, that may just be my all time favourite video game web video by far.

And you know what makes it worse, when I read the news today It wasn't that it was a surprise or anything, it was more like, "Oh come on, not again!" It seems every great little site for gaming, the ones that really are fun, and positive, and show such a expansive look at the industry, aka the ones I love, always seem to close down, die a slow death or what not. Game trailers, Rev3, Game Sack, 1up and all its great programming, the old Warning a Huge podcast (I know thats technically not dead but the wait for shows is so long it feels like it is always). These and other great shows, the ones that have disappeared really appealed to me mostly for their positiveness and excitement for games. Of course theres nothing wrong with a little negativity and criticism, but its gotten to be a bit too much for me to sit back and enjoy watching at many other places. I just can't stand the blog like sites these days and some of the ways they report, the clickbait and such. I can't stand the negativity that seems to be everywhere. And even though it is necessary to talk about, I can't stand the "consumer reports" like articles and videos that appear ad neasum these days. Of course there would be less of that if the industry improved, and I hope it does, but I just want more fun in my web gaming enjoyment. Especially with the limited time I have in a day.

Like others have said about themselves, Im getting older myself, and my gaming friends in life are few and far between too. Having places to go on the net that reflect my idea of gaming is great. Sadly they are disappearing so much. meanwhile it seems the only shows and sites, that in some cases are good places, that are surviving don't really reflect my tastes in gaming and reading about games online. I want more Gametrailers, more Classic Game Rooms, more Game Sacks, more 1ups! I want less blog news sites, I want less Digital Foundry like sites, I especially want less watchmojos and such. But Im an older guy, and Im not going to get that and I know it. Oh well. Thankfully there still some good stuff out there I find everyone and then. Kinda Funny is starting to feel that void for me.

But here I am being negative and complaining about negativity, I should finish positively like the things I want. All I can say then is this, Gametrailers and to all the people that worked there, you gave me lots of great entertainment especially this past year. Your hard work put a smile on my face and many others always. Its a shame you're in the situation you are in today. I hope you all get back on your feet very quickly. And if y'all come back in any capacity, I know like others Ill be there to watch as always! I sure am going to miss the GT time, and the Final Bossman. Good job y'all, and good luck!
 

sphinx

the piano man
still no explanation as to why they are closing shop?

will we know in the short term or is it something that will be revealed months/years after the dust has settled?
 

BrunoM

Member
Can Brandon take back the GameTrailers brand and license back from Defy? If they don't want anything to do with it...might not be that hard.

By going full youtube / twitch / patreon / kickstarter - not having to worry about managing and running a website, nor dealing with office rental costs, I think he can still make it a successful brand.

I always felt GT was pushing against the youtube / twitch media space. Like they didn't know if they were an editorial website with some creative media content or a full on video game based entertainment channel.

I think if they embrace the fact that they are the latter, they could do much better. They all live in L.A., and much of the content can be done individually in each of their residences. For example, Kyle Bosman doesn't need to go to an office building just to stream "dumb game monday." You don't need a Hollywood sound stage to film "The Final Bosman." KindaFunny proved you can record a podcast on a kitchen table with microphones. And in fact, none of their content needs to be scrapped simply because they are no longer operating out of an office nor owned by a larger company. The assets of GT was in the staff, not in anything else. So, as long as the assets are still alive, GT lives on.

It just sucks, because it seems we let 1up die off, but now there are so many other ways to go private, make money, and use public funding, it would be a waste for GT to just give up as easily. 1up broke off with their hands tied behind their back, this doesn't need to be how things go with GT.
I agree with you 110%
 

Hasney

Member
That should have been their slogan!

It might have been if they lasted more than 5 days since it was coined, dammit.

still no explanation as to why they are closing shop?

will we know in the short term or is it something that will be revealed months/years after the dust has settled?

It wasn't making the parent company enough money, that much is obvious. possibly even a loss based on the views they had.

I will say about Defy Media that I'm sure they had the best intentions when they bought them, but I'm noticing that a lot of these 'new media' companies like Defy and Rooster Teeth are very good at giving already successful brands a decent space to produce better work, but when they get a smaller brand, they're not willing to put in the resources required to help them grow. It's organic growth or nothing.
 

Tregard

Soothsayer
latest
 

Kysen

Member
The site has been on a downward spiral for ages. Ever since the site redesign and account changes it has sucked. Used to be my go to site for gaming reviews. They tried everything to recover but it looks like it didn't work.
 

oti

Banned
The GB guys are great folks and all, but a big reason why I love GT is because they are not overly bitter and cynic like GiantBomb.

That is totally understandable. Jeff's hatred for stuff is pure but still, sometimes I wish they'd be a bit more open. Especially when it comes to Nintendo stuff. Their GOTY podcasts can get pretty tiresome whenever they argue that your standard shooter sequel should be higher on the list than "just another Mario". But that's just how they roll and I still love them.
 

SpaceWolf

Banned
Hope these guys get to do another E3 reaction video this year, even if it isn't with GameTrailers. Their Shenmue reaction video was what introduced me to their work in the first place, hence why I'm pretty gutted about this. I only just found out about them and started watching their videos pretty regularly, only now for them to suddenly close up shop.
 
Can Brandon take back the GameTrailers brand and license back from Defy? If they don't want anything to do with it...might not be that hard.

By going full youtube / twitch / patreon / kickstarter - not having to worry about managing and running a website, nor dealing with office rental costs, I think he can still make it a successful brand.

I always felt GT was pushing against the youtube / twitch media space. Like they didn't know if they were an editorial website with some creative media content or a full on video game based entertainment channel.

I think if they embrace the fact that they are the latter, they could do much better. They all live in L.A., and much of the content can be done individually in each of their residences. For example, Kyle Bosman doesn't need to go to an office building just to stream "dumb game monday." You don't need a Hollywood sound stage to film "The Final Bosman." KindaFunny proved you can record a podcast on a kitchen table with microphones. And in fact, none of their content needs to be scrapped simply because they are no longer operating out of an office nor owned by a larger company. The assets of GT was in the staff, not in anything else. So, as long as the assets are still alive, GT lives on.

It just sucks, because it seems we let 1up die off, but now there are so many other ways to go private, make money, and use public funding, it would be a waste for GT to just give up as easily. 1up broke off with their hands tied behind their back, this doesn't need to be how things go with GT.

They should definitely pursue such options, or get a smaller office space. Hell, maybe try relocating elsewhere, e.g. to Seattle? Who knows. They need to stick together. They work great as a team.
 

Drencrom

Member
Is anyone up for having a GT logo, GT ribbon or something for our avatars?

I would do it if I could (I can't use photoshop to save my life).
 

-BLITZ-

Member
They had to most solid E3 Live stream. Quality and no freezing. Watched three E3 years conference in a row. E32015 Spike TV with Geoff had some serious issues with streaming. Hope this year will be better otherwise I have to accept Xbox stream which was not that great.

Their website is going to be down too ?
 
The site has been on a downward spiral for ages. Ever since the site redesign and account changes it has sucked. Used to be my go to site for gaming reviews. They tried everything to recover but it looks like it didn't work.

I thought this was basically the best it's ever been.
 
No GT reviews of the last guardian, shenmue and FF7R. That's so saddening.

As these guys are great I am sure they will be well. I just wish they stick together somehow. They were a great team.
Thanks for the hours and hours of Entertainment.
 

Haunted

Member
Oh no! :(

Hope everyone finds a good new place in their respective fields. Huber and Bosman feel like big talent who could absolutely thrive and give other sites a big push forward if these want to transition towards personality-based content. Moore and Ellis were also enjoyable to watch when they were on streams, the team just had really good chemistry, you could tell many of them were real life friends.

Best of luck to everyone!


10 out of 10, best in the biz. ;_;7
 

Hasney

Member
P.S. People comparing them to Giant Bomb need to know that Giant Bomb is part of Gamespot, who are part of CBS.

Yeah, Giant Bomb luckily had the foresight of Jeff, like saying this back in 2012:

The turmoil is larger than just [video game] journalism, it's the Internet. We're at a time of great change, what advertising means on the Internet is changing in a very big way, sort of like you're seeing on television with DVRs making standard ads obsolete. Business is going to have to change, and we're all going to have to adapt to move forward and keep going for the years to come. People that stand by as existing ad formats get less and less useful are going to feel the brunt of stuff like this.

Being one of the first to offer premium content alongside it's ad-supported stuff was a stroke of genius back in 2010 as I'd doubt they would have been as attractive to CBS without it.
 

ogbg

Member
As these guys are great I am sure they will be well. I just wish they stick together somehow. They were a great team..

That's the thing. I mean obviously I hope they all get jobs and based on their individual talent I'm sure they will but I really hope they try to stay together, and bring Elyse back
 

georly

Member
P.S. People comparing them to Giant Bomb need to know that Giant Bomb is part of Gamespot, who are part of CBS.

They are now, sure - but they started indie and worked with whiskey media. I think the comparisons are that it's a group of personalities born from a larger corporation (originally gamestop for GB) who work REALLY well as a group. We go to their site over others to see THEM and what they have to say about games. That's the giant bomb comparison. They didn't feel sterile like some other outlets, they had personalities that were entertaining and relatable.

I'd love for them to stay together, see if they can do some sort of subscription/patreon and work on a smaller scale than what giantbomb does. Sure, giantbomb is PART of CBS - but do you really think CBS would have acquired them if they weren't ALREADY making money without the help of CBS? Giant bomb stays afloat PRIMARILY because of their monthly subscription service - ads help, but they're not what keeps them alive.
 

Arkain

Member
Truly sad news. It was the only gaming-related site I visited regularly, apart from Neogaf. I hope the great people at GT quickly find new jobs.
 

UrbanRats

Member
No GT reviews of the last guardian, shenmue and FF7R. That's so saddening.

As these guys are great I am sure they will be well. I just wish they stick together somehow. They were a great team.
Thanks for the hours and hours of Entertainment.

No Kyle's reaction to the NX announcement this E3.
No impressions for Zelda, either.
 
Is anyone up for having a GT logo, GT ribbon or something for our avatars?

I would do it if I could (I can't use photoshop to save my life).

I'd definitely be down for something like that. I'm sure I could squeeze a GT logo into my avatar somewhere. It would coexist well with the Shenmue tag.
 
I am legitimately gutted for everyone. I have been fearing this for a while though.

GT is made up of a great set of personalities and I hope everyone can land on their feet; it would be nice to think they could all set up their own channel together.
 
Wow this is sudden to me. I used to watch them all the time before the days of YouTube. Their Mythbusters stuff was always fun to look into every few months. They will be missed.
 

Drencrom

Member
This sucks ass.

End of an era. And it seems like everybody is going their own way?

Wished they would stick together and do a Kinda Funny thing

Nothing has been said about that yet.

They did say "This is not the time to talk about that" when people asked them "what's in the future for them" in their last stream. Who knows though...
 

nilbog21

Banned
Very sad news. GT was the only mainstream video game media site I ever went to for game footage. Thanks for everything you've done GT
 

Haunted

Member
I'm confident they'll find something new for themselves, but I'm (selfishly) hoping that at least some of them will also stay visible on the net, whether it's on Twitch, on YouTube or as video personalities under the umbrella of another site.

Where are the Gametrailers offices located, geographically?
 

Drencrom

Member
I'm confident they'll find something new for themselves, but I'm (selfishly) hoping that at least some of them will also stay visible on the net, whether it's on Twitch, on YouTube or as video personalities under the umbrella of another site.

Where are the Gametrailers offices located, geographically?

Santa Monica, Cali
 

KJRS_1993

Member
Absolutely gutted.
The last podcast was the best in a long time.

I hope Brandon is able to start a new project and hopefully keep everyone together. They're all top guys.
 
Nothing has been said about that yet.

They did say "This is not the time to talk about that" when people asked them "what's in the future for them" in their last stream. Who knows though...

They did seem quite positive about still wanting to make content together in their final stream, which is reassuring. Lots of "it could still happen" comments about streaming certain games together, Ian wanting to play through Bloodborne all the way through in Jolly Cooperation with Brad, and Brandon streaming Disney Infinity.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see if that continued content ends up being full time as part of a new channel or just something on the side if they get new jobs.
 

Ding-Ding

Member
Sad news for my old 'home'.

Whilst it has been many years since I visited the site, I did watch a couple of their E3 shows on youtube. The Sony one really standing out as a bunch of people really enthusiastic about gaming. Made a really nice change from the other lifeless E3 shows out there.

I wish them all the very best for the future
 

Tregard

Soothsayer
They did seem quite positive about still wanting to make content together in their final stream, which is reassuring. Lots of "it could still happen" comments about streaming certain games together, Ian wanting to play through Bloodborne all the way through in Jolly Cooperation with Brad, and Brandon streaming Disney Infinity.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see if that continued content ends up being full time as part of a new channel or just something on the side if they get new jobs.

They need some way of continuing the GT Cinematic Universe
 

ogbg

Member
Whichever news coverage I saw of this was always like "youtube killed gametrailers" but I found that so weird because to me as a late comer GameTrailers was about the people and not about the historical format of the site.

I wonder if they had a big branding/marketing issue where lots of people just weren't aware of what kind of content they were actually producing these days and the personalities involved.
 

Haunted

Member
It's just such a shame because their current format/line-up with strong personalities heading up livestreams and personalised video content seemed like their strongest and most interesting in years.

I stopped paying attention to Gametrailers many years ago, but the current crop of personalities headed by Huber and Bosman brought me back and they've been among my most viewed sites recently.

Santa Monica, Cali
Well, that's not completely isolated, at least.
 
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