Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight. I, ZombiePie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the site-related news as well as the best user-created works from the previous week!
Honestly, it's a bit of a shame I published the Spotlight when I did because less than one hour after I did, the new site's forums launched! The new site is getting fleshed out every day it seems and if you haven't yet read Chuck's post about what it was like making a new website in less than a year, it's a real delight.
Nonetheless, most of you will be able to see three possible boards on the forums with "General Discussion" being where most of the discussion topics that come to your mind should go. Layoffs at a AAA studio? They go in General Discussion! A trailer for a hotly anticipated video game release? Share it in General Discussion! Wanna talk about a recent Giant Bomb stream that you can't stop thinking about? Make a thread in General Discussion!
For those of you with a premium subscription, don't forget that there's a new "Premium" forum board you can take advantage of on the rebooted forums! Whether you want to ask specific questions about premium features or goofy topics you want to pass by Giant Bomb's most dedicated members, consider making something fun there when you have the chance if you can!
If you are a new poster and aren't a spambot, there are a few limits to what you can do before you get the same posting privileges as everyone else. Because the site already experienced its first batch of spambots, image uploading is now limited to premium members. Will this be reversed in the future? Maybe, but for now it is a premium feature for purely self-preservation reasons. Likewise, new users are now on a timer that limits their ability to post on the site. If you are not limited by this timer, this is why you should take advantage of the new upvote feature; it allows new posters to regain forum posts.
All of this is really cool and major props to Chuck for everything they have done thus far to make this possible! However, as many of you have noticed first-hand, the forums are still a work in progress. If you have seen warnings about getting disconnected from Giant Bomb while attempting to publish a comment or thread or been re-directed to your profile when trying to access the forums or a link on them, these issues are still being worked out and your patience is greatly appreciated.
The site layout has also changed to utilize a five card layout wherein the Bomb 12 and Stream Schedule moved up to be more visible the minute you log into giantbomb.com. If you have any thoughts about this redesign, share away in the comments.
Speaking of cool things that are being worked on to make the now fully independent Giant Bomb an even cooler place on the internet, the site has started working on the first-ever issue of a community-driven Giant Bomb Zine! Over on the Giant Bomb Discord, you can find tim_nicklas as the liaison in the "zine-production" section of the Premium section of the Discord. The zine itself won't be premium-only, but sharing input and participation will be a premium perk. Things are still fairly liquid, but one last exciting bit about this zine worth sharing is that the plan is to print an actual physical magazine that you can all collect and enjoy!
In terms of legacy user content, nearly all data from the old site should be here, which now includes user reviews. It sounds like Chuck is aiming to work on list creation tools first and then user review tools after that. Related, the Giant Bomb Infinite redirect issues likely have been solved once and for all! If the link to Infinite still sends you to the wrong location, let Chuck know on the Discord.
Now, let's talk about Giant Bomb's GOTY plans! If you missed the announcement earlier, Giant bomb is back at the Maingear office/recording studio to do the GOTY shows and podcasts. As a result, GOTY 2025 content will not be live-streamed and will be released during the holiday break. The schedule on the new front page is definitely your place to check out what's coming out and when, and before you ask, YES, guest lists are back and there are a LOT of them this year! So, get ready for a real haul of GOTY goodness as we round off the year!
Likewise, if you still have yet to send in your vote for the Community GOTY 2025 voting, you have until the end of the month to do so! Huge thanks to Marino for hosting the community voting and for taking the time to craft a Google Form at the last minute!
Art
Leonardo DiCaprio & Mike Minotti (By: Pickle_Giraffe)
Last week's Community Spotlight just didn't feel right without at least ONE work of pure nightmare fuel from Pickle_Giraffe. I'm happy to report that things are different this week!
Community Articles
Best of 2025 (By: Marino)
Marino not only is taking the time to work behind the scenes to make sure Giant Bomb has amazing guest lists, but he also took the time to make their own GOTY 2025 list which is completely worth reading when you have the time!
My game awards for 2025 (By: laughingman)
laughingman also took the time to share which games rocked their socks off this year and whether you agree with everything on their article or not, please consider dropping them a comment of support!
The Price of Safety... (By: pauljeremiah)
In more serious news, pauljeremiah tries to tackle the issue of consolidation in the gaming industry and what they think is driving the biggest players to explore and even champion consolidation.
Indie Game of the Week 449: A Game About Digging a Hole (By: Mento)
Like clockwork, Mento is back with a new edition of their "Indie Game of the Week" feature and this time they checked out "A Game About Digging a Hole!" Do they think there's more to this shitpost game than its title might suggest? You'll just have to read to find out!
Moosey May Cry Part 6 (Part 1). (By: MooseyMcMan)
After committing to play every single mainline Devil May Cry game, MooseyMcMan is nearing the finish line and has finally reached Devil may Cry 6. However, like Game of Thrones or Stranger Things, they've decided to split their final season into two parts! So, give the first part a read this week!
Forum Posts Worth Checking Out
Announcements
Community GOTY Voting (By: marino)
I shouldn't have to say it again but... VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW! VOTE NOW!
Also, be careful about your spelling.
EMAILS!! GET YA EMAILS!! (By: chucktowski)
New posting requirement for new posters (please upvote good posts!) (By: chucktowski)
image upload disabled for non-premium for now (By: chucktowski)
And here is a smattering of threads and announcements about the site, forums, and many other things of great importance! Give each and every one of these threads/announcements a read when you have the chance if you haven't already read them.
General Discussion
Steam Winter Sale 2025 (By: Eurydice)
Whelp... the Steam Winter Sale sure is here, but most people seem to be anemic about this incarnation about the usually much-ballyhooed event. Are there any game deals or discounts you recommend? If so, share them with your fellow community members.
The Return of the Umamusume Thread (By: ben_h)
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE! And lick clockwork, the Umamusume community is back and wants YOU to talk all about yoru anime horse girl strategies in Umamusume: Pretty Derby!
So How the Heck Are We Feeling About Metroid Prime 4? (By: jjweatherman)
Also, let's get back to brass tacks: how are we all feeling about Metroid Prime 4? Do you have any thoughts about the level design or bosses? If so, share all your juicy thoughts in this thread!
Special Interests/Hobbies That You Don't Really Share with Anyone? (By: xmarty97)
Do you have any non-gaming hobbies that would be considered niche or obscure? As the thread-creator pf this topic shares, they have been into Tokusatsu shows and merchandise for a while.
Ideas For The New Forums (By: chucktowski)
Do you have any ideas on how to make the new Giant Bomb forums better? Are there things you'd like to see added or changed? Can you think of something that you were begging for in the past? Well, here's where you can share your ideas!
2025 Anime of the Year of All Time (By: dochaus)
What's everyone's 2025 Anime of the Year? Is it the second season of Dandadan? CITY: The Animation? Apocalypse Hotel? Is it something indie that maybe didn't get a ton of buzz?
Forza Motorsport 2023 is no longer receiving updates (By: GTxForza)
Do you know how I know the new Giant Bomb forums will do okay? GTxForza is back writing threads about racing games! To kick things off, how do you feel about the current state of Forza Motorsport?
What are you playing/finishing/abandoning this week (Dec 14, 2025 Edition)? (By: laughingman)
It happens every year, what what's a game getting GOTY buzz that you have accepted you just won't be able to play before the end of the year Share your game(s) in this thread!
UUGPGC Keeper spoiler thread (By: bigsocrates)
In light of the forums getting a refresh, bigsocrates re-created their Game of the Month Club's discussion thread for Keeper by legendary developer, Double Fine! Also, they're taking suggestions on how to best revive the club in light of the new site launch!
Temperature Check: TGAs 2025 (By: Mento)
So, now that the dust has settled, what are your final thoughts about The Game Awards 2025? Any trailers stick out to you? Reactions to Clair Obscur taking a smattering awards?
Premium
Are the Blight Boys Ok? (By: baltmatrix)
Again, don't forget there's a new PREMIUM ONLY discussion board! Want to create threads for every season of Blight Club or other cool features on the site?! Here's one asking if the Blight Boys are OK!
Survey Says: No
pitch me a video game in 10 words or less (By: jordha)
The thread title says it all: think of a game you love and pitch it but in ten words or less. Can you do it? Give it a shot even if you have your doubts.