this post was submitted on 02 May 2025
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124
Future of Giant Bomb website in doubt following prominent staff departures (www.videogameschronicle.com)
submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
16 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

The trailblazing video game website Giant Bomb has faced significant staff departures, as owner Fandom claims the brand will undergo “strategic reset and realignment”.

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Giant Bomb deserves more than a thread hanging off the Polygon story post. I don't think it's ever looked nearly this dire.

I don't remember exactly how I stumbled across GB, but I think it came up randomly during TheSpeedGamers Final Fantasy marathon in 2009 (which was the inspiration for the first GDQ marathon in 2010). They weren't necessarily the first to do the very personality-focused, video heavy, gaming coverage, but they definitely went at it the hardest and with the fewest fucks given about doing anything the "right" way. I've spent over 16 years now following the site and the people that have come through it, the Giant Bomb Extended Universe. I couldn't possibly quantify the impact they've had on me over the years. It may not technically be the end but I don't see a path forward from here.

Just gonna go be sad for a bit and watch the best content GB ever put out. That would be, obviously, Thursday Night Throwdown: Fortune Street (and part 2). <>

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago

Giant Bomb deserves more than a thread hanging off the Polygon story post.

Agreed. Giant Bomb pioneered so much in games media, and for it to end like that is such a shame.

As far as I am concerned, the GB I loved was already struggling after Alex, Brad and Vinny left ; and it ended for good when Jeff Gerstmann was fired abruptly (again !). This news still saddens me however, and I wonder what will be the legacy of GB down the road.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I don’t see a path forward from here.

Without knowing anything (beyond what's said in the article) about Giant Bomb, I'd assume it's the same path forward as when the F-word fucked up Gamepedia beyond all recognition. Find alternatives. In the case of Gamepedia other wiki hosting services, like Miraheze and wiki.gg, and more independently-hosted wikis. And some of the wiki.gg admins were Gamepedia admins, as far as I'm aware - it sounds like a similar restart may well end up being the case here too.

It sucks, especially because the F-word is good at search-engine optimisation, but it's not the end.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Wasn't the whole existence of Giant Bomb due to similar drama?

https://kotaku.com/yes-a-games-writer-was-fired-over-review-scores-5893785

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Even going back to the 90s video game magazines and their reviews were ragged on as marketing material for publishers but there was still some semblance of reverence over the years for the big magazines and websites (IGN and Gamespot. Maybe 1Up). After the Kane and Lynch Gamespot review fiasco, that to me was when gamer internet discourse over game journalism tanked to ever worsening hostility towards games reporters/journalist.

That Kane and Lynch review scandal tanked Gamespots reputation. That was probably also the era of making fun of the game awards guy as the Dorito/Mountain Dew Pope with that Spike TV video game award show

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago

The irony is outlets have never been more transparent about review process, embargoes, disclosures, etc. because of all that, and yet....

Can only lead a horse to water, though. A staggering amount of people can't tell the difference between independent reviewers and paid influencers.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The ~2010's, official game review scandal which all big videogame influencers like IGN, G4tv, Gamespot etc... (this was before instagram and tiktok) got bribed by corporations so the aftermath of that was splintergroups of indie review sites like GiantBomb. And so let's plays got born. Still never trusting triple-A game marketing ever again

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

The ~2010’s, official game review scandal which all big videogame influencers like IGN, G4tv, Gamespot etc… (this was before instagram and tiktok) got bribed by corporations

Got any sources for that? Unless you think advertisement are bribes, this didn't happen.

Jeff was fired because he didn't want to change his low score for a Kane & Lynch game, after Gamespot was pressured by the publisher, who was running some huge ads on Gamespot. He also said that usually this doesn't happen, because the review side and marketing on these big sites are completely separate, and the reviewers don't hear of these complaints. In his case however, Gamespot had new execs, who got cold feet, and caved. They left shortly after.

I have never heard of anything else like this happening, except from angry fanboys, that think reviewers are on the take, when Zelda gets an 8.8.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

GB is personality driven, when Alex, Vinny and Brad left, it already felt like a shift to the end. When Gerstmann was let go, GB really seemed doomed.

Fandom dictating what they can and cannot do when the site relies on their personalities and free form content just shows they don't want the brand or people.

I really love Nextlander. I like fire escape. I miss Gerstmann, but I don't want to listen to a solo podcast.

I hope the gang can aquire the brand. Fuck...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Yeah I loved Giant Bomb back in the day, but it was all about the people. With Vinny, Brad, Alex, and Jeff gone I just moved on to their new projects and stopped paying attention to Giant Bomb. Nowadays Giant Bomb is just a name to me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I am absolutely in the same boat. I would love to listen to Jeff as well and every time he has a guest on I make sure to grab the podcast, but I can't listen to one person podcasts. He absolutely needs a co-host or guests every week.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

This shit is blowing up!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I remember thinking when fandom got them “well they can’t be a worse steward than red ventures”

Welp.

This guy sure looks like he gets what nerds want. Eat a dick, Perkins.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Damn, for me Jeff, Dan and Mitch/Mike formed the new nucleus and were quite entertaining.

Usually I am open to change, when it comes from a creative directive. However Giant Bomb seems increasingly to be jerked around by corporate interests in faster intervals. I have doubt's that GB will keep its identity and not just be a name.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

It might end up just being a name for game guides, which sucks, but that core nucleus will still be doing Blight Club in some capacity, and Jeff will still do his news show. I think the same thing will live on by another name, just like the old school lives on in Next Lander and Gerstmann's solo thing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Sad. End of an era (almost.)