Is this the Beginning of the End for GB?

Can't add anything relevant but I will say, the other night I watched an episode of 13 Deadly Sims. Felt super sad when I quickly realized every person(real person) in the video was gone along with the Beast name. Really sucks.

@doesjefflikeit said:

I think I read on Twitter that Jeff Bakalar was joining Giant Bomb and Gamespot to do some backend work and that Danny was going to start doing contract stuff for Giant Bomb.

I haven't listened to any Giant Bomb podcasts for a long while, apart from special episodes (I think the last episode of the Beastcast was the only one I ever listened to), so my exposure to Jeff Bakalar has been very limited. From what I've picked up from other people, it seems like he's running the site alongside Jeff now, managing hirings and restructuring, etc. My perspective may be fairly unique, but it's funny what you can miss just by avoiding a single avenue of content, especially when you spend as much time on the site as I do.

These bots are getting really clever

It's the end of this era which one day we will have a name for (The post Abby/Ben Covid era). I discovered GB about halfway through the "West coast Mario party Ryckert" era (as future historians will call it). Each change feels odd to start with, the site evolves and we later miss that new era when it's gone.

Personally I just hope the new team can get back in the studio and we can get some interaction again. Once it's safe to do so of course.

They're officially settled into the office.

Personally I think the site can only be better going forward. Ben talked about it on his “e it interview” podcast, but burnout is a real thing. Having the same “crew” can be familiar, but it also gets stale. Everyone either already heard Jeff’s stories or they were there for them. Brad was never a good host of the bombcast. I listen to early Bomb casts and Brad was basically a malcontent who started arguments and would never admit he was wrong. That was such a better “role” for him. Vinny is a treasure but he seemed burnt out on not getting to play the stuff he wanted to play in favor of having to play stuff he didn’t like.

I think a new cast and new direction for GB will better service where the landscape is now. I think Jeff and Jeff will be great together once they get some synergy going. I think Jan is AMAZING. He can be great if he gets to unleash.

I’m optimistic.

Three OGs left to do the exact same thing. Not a good look, something feels off about the state of Giant Bomb. Vinny says that Red Ventures is good for Giant Bomb and it was simply time to move on. And they moved on to… record podcasts and stream games. Plus in Nextlander ep. 0, Brad alluded to how they were under pressure by suits.

If GB come through with Nu Bomb and the site goes on, it will be in name only. That said I’m not sure they know what they are doing ultimately and are just slumming it as they go. It’s been over a month now since Nextlander duders left. We’ve not had any concrete information, even though it was promised weeks ago. Only had little tiny tidbits of information hidden in videos that require the forum users and Reddit to dig through. All the information we got in the last month comes down to the fact that they are apparently talking to “content creators”. Who, what, how, where? As a paying premium member, this is quite frustrating. Red Ventures should be offering refunds, this is not what most people signed up for.

Even without Jeff and only one day in, Nextlander feels more like Giant Bomb than Giant Bomb. One is a group of buddies hanging out, talking about games, shop and whatever, the other is a burning mess.

Threads like these man, sheesh.

@syndrom: Yup - I second that statement.

@nickm: Yup i hate speculation but Vinny saying Red Ventures was good for them and then starting a other "company" with the same focus audience as GB feels odd.

@elby said:

I still have moments where I go "Damn, I wish Ryan was around, R.I.P."

Let's just put it this way: I'm more optimistic about the future of GiantBomb than I am about The Joe Budden Podcast.

@facelessvixen: Made me laugh! Thanks.

Could mean something. But also multiple things can be true. They can believe Red Ventures a good path forward for GB as well as personally preferring to do something more detached from the corporate life, and it may well be as simple as that.

It's natural to wonder, but I figure there's no reason not to take their statements at face value right now.

Well, that's enough speculation and doom/gloom.

We now know all about GB's future and discussing it here.