Big-ass Ramp
hella bullets that's true
Just announced on the live Giant Bombcast. Vinny, Brad, and Alex announced that they are leaving. Jan left a vague message in chat, his future is not clear. Future of site overall is not clear at this time.
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Several staff leaving Giant Bomb
- Thread starter Big-ass Ramp
- Start date
DarkestHour
Banned
Holy shit
Revolutionary
Gold Member
Most of us saw this coming when they were bought up last year (or was it the year before? I don't remember).
But in reality, Giant Bomb died with Ryan Davis. It just hasn't been the same since.
But in reality, Giant Bomb died with Ryan Davis. It just hasn't been the same since.
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Big-ass Ramp
hella bullets that's true
Trending on twitter...
ArtemisClydeFrog
Banned
Good, we need less gaming "media" companies. The fat one is still there though, right?
Big-ass Ramp
hella bullets that's true
AJUMP23
Parody of actual AJUMP23
He died the night of his wedding.
ArtemisClydeFrog
Banned
Nah the other one, looks like its Jeff. Hopefully he sticks to work behind the scenes.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
Go woke go broke.
How's Colin Moriarty doing again?
How's Colin Moriarty doing again?
fart town usa
Member
Did GB really go woke? That's a bummer if true.
I don't know if this counts, but I remember one of them saying how The Hangover didn't age well because the use of the f word near the beginning of the movie. I stopped listening shortly after this episode for an unrelated reason, so maybe they're even more woke now.
thegame983
Member
Put it this way, they didn't not go woke.
SidViscous
Member
They refused to cover a few games like Kingdom Come Deliverance, which is fine if you don't want to cover something on a personal level, but every staff member just dog piled the games to the extent you could tell even the ones who probably played it were too scared to mention it on the bombcast. I love the bombcast, but every person they hired pretty much regurgitated the same viewpoint when it came to censorship and political correctness, would have made a much better debate to have someone not go along with the rest of the crew on that stuff.
They were also too scared to release/fire Abby despite many of their listeners clearly saying she was bringing the podcast down, and instead double-downed on saying it was gamergate etc and not just her being insufferable and pushing gay visual novel titles for Game of the Year for half the podcast and drowning out the good stuff, I stopped listening at this point so not sure if they improved since then or not.
</rant>
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ArtemisClydeFrog
Banned
Got a link for that podcast episode? I've heard about it before. Did she really try and get a fucking visual novel videogame as GOTY?
CancelYourSubs
Neo Member
WARNING: staff appreciation posts incoming
SidViscous
Member
Yes, she would interrupt people and keep bringing the topic back to Daddy Daycare or whatever the fuck it was because they were not giving her stupid suggestion enough oxygen, this was multiple years in row and became an unintentional joke on their reddit. When she was fired folks were rejoicing and then they brought her on as a special guest for another one, like.. no wonder they are shutting them down.
thegame983
Member
They also went down the ACAB route, which as a long time fan of the site, was embarrassing.
I also stopped listening then. I actually discovered NEOGAF thanks to the giantbomb thread shitting on Abbey. Good times.
I also stopped listening then. I actually discovered NEOGAF thanks to the giantbomb thread shitting on Abbey. Good times.
TheMan
Member
well that's a shame, they've been bleeding for a while now
abby
ben
now these 3
I'll say that I only really started paying attention to them over the past year or two but out of all the podcasts I listen to, giant bombcast has been my favorite. Seems like the site is likely going under soon.
abby
ben
now these 3
I'll say that I only really started paying attention to them over the past year or two but out of all the podcasts I listen to, giant bombcast has been my favorite. Seems like the site is likely going under soon.
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BadBurger
Many “Whelps”! Handle It!
I stopped listening to them a while back, no idea what the state of the podcast was like though I heard things. The loss of Ryan was of course a huge blow, and they brought on an uninteresting, kind of grating host / producer / whatever who's name I forget (it was a woman but I can't remember if she was the first woman or second).
Even though I haven't listened in ages I figure with it just being Jeff it's not really Giant Bomb any longer. It was always the core four (later three) that was the heart and soul.
Even though I haven't listened in ages I figure with it just being Jeff it's not really Giant Bomb any longer. It was always the core four (later three) that was the heart and soul.
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.hacked
Member
I used to watch UPF every Sat morning (usually working when was live on Friday), when covid hit and stopped with the studio produced stuff they lost me on most of their video content. Without the studio space they just get lost with all the other youtube gamer stuff.
Still listen to their podcast every week so it will be missed. Ill be on look out for what is next.
Still listen to their podcast every week so it will be missed. Ill be on look out for what is next.
Well I don't listen but this sound alike a real shit show, why are they popular??
SidViscous
Member
The emails and news sections are great, even their team banter is good when the annoying ones are away on location, the website itself is solid and has an epic database of game stuff on it. But they hired the wrong people and doubled down on blaming their own audience for the fallout - every podcast one of them will do the "man gamers are terrible people" stuff about the latest sjw hot-topic, then they wonder why many stopped listening.
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J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
This thread is progressing exactly how I thought it would.
Can someone elaborate on this specifically? I'm not aware of what Red Ventures is and what they do.
Big-ass Ramp
hella bullets that's true
Right. Let's try to stay on topic. This type of discussion is what got the main GB thread locked.
J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
It eventually happens in every GB thread, on every forum I've seen. Literally only one person aside from yourself mentioned actual news and the rest are going through the usual motions.
bender
What time is it?
I doubt it is a layoff. I'm sure core staff members were incentivized to stay on for a certain period after the acquisition and that date is most likely Friday. They'll collect a package on their way out the door. Jeff's day is probably coming as well. Ben and Abby probably also accepted a package with voluntary separation earlier in the year.
The writing has been on the wall but this still stings. It seems like just yesterday, the 1UP crew were protesting outside of the CBS offices after Jeff's termination.
SidViscous
Member
What are we meant to discuss? I mean they are losing listeners for a reason surely. I've given my two cents as to why and when I stopped listening but would like to hear others.
Did their content dry up during lockdown? Are people frustrated about not being able to pick up a new console and don't want to hear about all the stuff they can't play?
AJUMP23
Parody of actual AJUMP23
The red ventures purchase I guess was a year and a half again when Abby left, but it doesn’t feel that long ago.
J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
I'm specifically talking about the people who keep bringing up the usual points. Yes, we know things changed after Ryan passed. Yes, we know Jeff was jaded since then for a while until Dan breathed life back into him and their content. Yes, we know everyone had mixed feelings on Dan. Yes, we know that Abby was bad on goty discussions and made the structure worse. Yes, we know Patrick wasn't the best hire. Yes, we know Austin was too politically charged. Yes, we know Ben is constantly wrong and looked stupid every time someone fact checked him. Yes, we know Jan and Jason aren't the most charismatic. Yes, we know everyone misses Drew. Yes, we know they've been slowly bleeding talent.
They took a big risk/shot on personality based content and semi-failed. Most of it was due to business related, money, and timing problems.
It happens. Giants fall, companies die, business ideas fail, and at the end of the day people eventually move on. I think the problem is that this is some people's first time seeing something like this real time, but I've witnessed it plenty of times before. Gametrailers original crew(thankfully newer crew rebounded to EZA). G4TV. Tech TV. Gamespy. 4playerpodcast. Spoony. Maddox. The ton of gaming personalities from Justin.tv that left or lost their audiences when the twitch.tv transition happened. All of those gaming magazine companies that are now dead or defunct with Game Informer barely holding on to dear life thanks to GameStop. GB's time will eventually be up. One just has to hope that someone utilizes their database the minute Jeff shuts off the lights(like when gametrailers url and YouTube got scooped up).
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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Big-ass Ramp
hella bullets that's true
Vinny Caravella, Alex Navarro, and Brad Shoemaker Leave Giant Bomb [UPDATE]
Vinny Caravella, Alex Navarro, and Brad Shoemaker, foundational members of the Giant Bomb team, announced today they are leaving the site.
kotaku.com
thegame983
Member
Big-ass Ramp
hella bullets that's true
Alex Navarro, Brad Shoemaker, Vinny Caravella Leave Giant Bomb
Three members of the beloved Giant Bomb team have announced their departure.
www.gamespot.com
This one has some interesting quotes from Jeff:
"
In a statement, Giant Bomb founder Gerstmann said: "I've spent a lot of the last year thinking about what's next for Giant Bomb and most of those roads lead to a full-on rethink of what it means to be a Website About Video Games in 2021. While I certainly would have loved to solve these challenges with my longtime friends and coworkers by my side, it just wasn't meant to be. I wish Vinny, Alex, and Brad the best. Meanwhile, we have a pretty exciting opportunity to broaden our horizons, rethink every facet of our operation, and get to a place where we're truly able to build that bomb all over again... or die trying."
Speaking to the future of the site, the Giant Bomb team as a whole said: "There is a collective vision for what the future of Giant Bomb is and it involves both familiar and new faces. We're already in talks with creators so that we can begin the next chapter. We're fully aware that this marks a big change and we're using this as an opportunity to rethink what this site is. It's a chance to introduce new personalities from different backgrounds and explore categories and topics that we never have before." "
dusty_cookies
Member
I like their banter, i skipped any episodes that seemed politic heavy. They don't over laden the shows with wokeness for the most part.
Surprised to hear Brad is leaving, can't imagine the show without him, might need find a new games podcast.
Surprised to hear Brad is leaving, can't imagine the show without him, might need find a new games podcast.
TaylorSwiftFan
Member
I was literally thinking yesterday whether GiantBomb was still a thing. I guess not anymore. I stopped listening once they started getting political.
HoodWinked
Member
Generally all gaming jurno was going hard left but Austin Walker was kind of the starting of the inauguration towards the path. Dan fought the good fight but is just vastly outnumbered by those in the cult.
But ya without Brad and Vinny it's completely done. Brad had been doing that side pod with Will.
What's even left Jeff, Jason, Jeff, Jan and Rorie.
But ya without Brad and Vinny it's completely done. Brad had been doing that side pod with Will.
What's even left Jeff, Jason, Jeff, Jan and Rorie.
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Alex Navarro, Brad Shoemaker, Vinny Caravella Leave Giant Bomb
Three members of the beloved Giant Bomb team have announced their departure.
This one has some interesting quotes from Jeff:
"
In a statement, Giant Bomb founder Gerstmann said: "I've spent a lot of the last year thinking about what's next for Giant Bomb and most of those roads lead to a full-on rethink of what it means to be a Website About Video Games in 2021. While I certainly would have loved to solve these challenges with my longtime friends and coworkers by my side, it just wasn't meant to be. I wish Vinny, Alex, and Brad the best. Meanwhile, we have a pretty exciting opportunity to broaden our horizons, rethink every facet of our operation, and get to a place where we're truly able to build that bomb all over again... or die trying."
Speaking to the future of the site, the Giant Bomb team as a whole said: "There is a collective vision for what the future of Giant Bomb is and it involves both familiar and new faces. We're already in talks with creators so that we can begin the next chapter. We're fully aware that this marks a big change and we're using this as an opportunity to rethink what this site is. It's a chance to introduce new personalities from different backgrounds and explore categories and topics that we never have before." "
WOW! This speaks VOLUMES!!!
J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
It's unfortunate we won't get more context. I'm always curious about business disagreements from a learning standpoint. Like it helps to know what one person or a group did wrong so that others don't make the same mistake, especially in a business as volatile as the video game industry. Literally everything from that corner of business doesn't speak to steady work, from the developers, to the publishers, to the streamers and journalists.
It's all unsteady ground.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
I think it'll be apparent once GiantBomb is raised from the grave in a few weeks.
J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
Kind of. Abby and Austin would make side comments every now and then on the beastcast how their work would pay a decent amount to live in New York, but not much more. And Dan Ryckert would say how he's in it for the love of video games more than money. Austin saw a better paying opportunity and took it, and to be fair, Vinny and Jeff would speak about how Austin was overqualified for his position at GB so I don't blame him for moving up. Dan loved wrestling just as much as video games and that's more of a steady job, so I don't blame him for moving there either. However with Abby, I have no idea what she's currently up to or planning to do aside from her youtube channel.
Short answer: It paid good enough to live in a semi-decent apartment in New York, which is a more expensive place to live in to begin with.
AJUMP23
Parody of actual AJUMP23
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.
GeorgioCostanzaX
Gold Member
Man this sucks to hear...just when I was getting used to the Jeff, Danny O’Dwire, Brad vibe.