What happened to Quick Looks (and maybe some other spontaneous formats)?

I am a bit disappointed with Nextlander for spontaneous stuff and Dan is the most consistent by far for that kind of thing. I still enjoy the BombCast. I would not be surprised if the management stuff is sucking up alot of time.

Here's how you fix GiantBomb:

• Get back into the studio asap. Ideally, I would like all content to come from the studio. The worst part for me since the pandemic is the WFH streams, even when streaming as a group. Just not the same chemistry. Feels very stilted.
• Get rid of contractors. I don't want random people coming in and out constantly, even if I know who they are. It's not why I've been a fan of GB. I like a core group who can establish a repertoire, running jokes, face-to-face collaboration etc. (also, please don't hire anyone whose brand of comedy is nothing other than ass, poop, butt, fart, jokes. I expect that sort of stuff from YouTube, not GB)
• More content. I understand a lot of stuff is happening, but it's getting ridiculous now. YouTubers can put out content daily yet GB - backed by a wealthy company, staffed with 4/5 regulars, along now with contractors - cannot? I really don't get why they can't do a short quick look regularly like the old days.
• More weird shows that add an extra layer to just playing the game; Mario Sunshine, Breaking Brad, Demo derby, stuff like that.

My apologies if I come across as insensitive or oblivious to the current GB situation. I'm just sharing what I think with others on a discussion forum. Really hope the website gets back to its best.

@vandelay: what's the point of a studio when you only have 3 people on the team that would use it? Bakalar is in NJ, Jason moved to ATL, no idea where Danny lives but he mentioned he was "flying in" to see Jeff G. The location of outputting content isnt the problem, it's what is being put out... or lack thereof.

Jeff's been in the business for over 2 decades, would be nice if we get some developer or studio head interviews with contacts he's made over the years. I find it odd that some of those incredibly small youtube podcasts are able to get Phil Spencer on their show but it's been over 2 years since we've last seen him on GB. It's time for GB to find it's footing in the industry again, hell even Nextlander is just doing a carbon copy of what everyone else is doing which makes it fairly boring to watch even though I like those personalities.

Uh huh. The fact that Jeff seems to be primarily interested in broken shit he digs through Steam to find is a lot less charming when he's the main voice of the site rather than one of many voices. Frankly I'm a little sick of Jan's Pokemon shit too. The site needs to get some more generalists pronto.

Be that as it may, if the hours you put in don't translate into actual content that people pay for, what's the point? We are both in a pandemic and a summer, it is barren out there in terms of new exciting releases. If you gotta play some bad indie game for 8 hours so that you can spend 10 minutes talking about in on the podcast and your conclusion is "it's on Game Pass so give it a try yourselves" then that is not time used effectively.

@apewins: To a certain degree, Giant Bomb is still editorial in nature. You cover the industry, whether it's an effective use of time or not. If there's nothing but "Bad indie games" you cover "bad indie games". Now they can choose to stop covering that, in favor of some other type of content, but then you're going to have people worried that you aren't covering that either. But that's not a conversation I'm here to have. Everyone is going to have a different take on what part of Giant Bomb deserves more focus than the other, and I'm not here to justify my own side or argue against another.

I'm interested in reminding people that you don't see what happens for the majority of their work day. You've never have. You see a couple hours a day at most. It seems to be hard for a lot of people to comprehend that stuff happens when you aren't witness to it. And that it's easy to use that, and make it fit a narrative. I'm asking people to consider that maybe things can't be done differently right now. That it's not possible for three people to give you the content that eight people were giving you five years ago. And that those three people are probably working their asses off to bring you even a sliver of that workload.

I don't think you have read a lot of the complaints and observations expressed in this thread, because numerous people, including myself, have acknowledged that Giantbomb seems to have a lot of behind the scenes work to do. Either that or you are simply dismissing people's legitimate observations in bad faith. That's explicitly part of the complaint, though. What behind the scenes stuff do they have to do, and why should it get in the way of actually producing the content that people come to this site for? If the current workflow prohibits them from efficiently producing entertaining content, then the workflow needs to change. And this isn't just a problem that sprang up with the Red Venture acquisition, the pandemic, and the departure of the staff, as many have been voicing concerns with the content output of the last few years. As has been said many times in this thread, youtubers and twitch streamers manage to pump out more frequent and elaborate content singlehandedly than Giantbomb has with a staff of multiple people. Why? It doesn't help that there is absolutely no communication from the staff when these concerns are expressed. It's either completely dismissed and not engaged with at all, or dismissed and mocked as a bunch of angry internet nerds. Subscribers give this site soooooo much slack, largely because people appreciate what this site has provided for a decade, but to a lot of us, it's in a bad state and we just want to know what the fuck is going on and how they are attempting to address it. That is not an unreasonable expectation.

@jacksmedulla: I'm not addressing the people with valid complaints because they're valid complaints and don't need addressing.

As for youtube and twitch streamers putting out more content, this isn't youtube or twitch. There are so many reasons why that would be the case. Probably the most important being their workflow hasn't been interrupted. They are likely set up to be a solo operation and continue to put out content at the pace that they are able to. It's a less complicated operation. Again, Giant Bomb went from being an 8 or 9 person operation to being just three. It's a more complex operation. All of those people were vital in keeping the machine running and now they are gone.

Giant Bomb is used to operating out of a studio and an office. They've lost that. Streamers stream from home, always have. Again no adjustments there for them. Again, a less complicated set up, easier to produce content.

Streamers are often a lot younger than the current Giant Bomb staff. They usually have more free time, and more time to dedicate to work.

People are aware of that but... at the end of the day it's kind of not our problem. Like, if a publisher puts out a bad and broken game that doesn't deliver on anything it promises and Jeff gives it a negative review he isn't going to be dissuaded from doing that by because the developer whined and said "but you don't understand, a bunch of our staff got sick of the corporate environment and quit on us, the game would have been good if that hadn't happened." Jeff may well have sympathy about that and may report on it, but at the end of the day the developer is still charging for a sub-par product.

@roadshell: I said earlier in the thread that I'm not here to dispute whether or not you should be paying for a product that you feel is sub-par. That's not my decision to make for people. My problem is with people implying the state of this site is from a lack of passion, drive, direction, work hours, or caring about it's subscribers. Or that this site should somehow be just as good as Twitch and Youtube streamers, as if none of the challenges this site has faced apply. It's the same garbage people claim of a when a game is bad, it's the result of "lazy developers".

@brian_: "Giant Bomb went from being an 8 or 9 person operation to being just three"

They went from 9 to 6 over the course of a year without replacing anyone before going from 6 to 3 (it's actually five now: Jan Jason, Matt, Jeff and Jeff). Thinking about it actually makes me feel like whoever is in charge of staffing the site gives less of a shit about the staff than some of the less than savoury commenters.

@kunakai: I'm reluctant to count Bakalar as staff as, to my understanding, he's technically managing Red Venture's group of gaming sites as opposed to full time Giant Bomb member. Rorie's also weird in that he's always been split between support and video content, and I just don't know how much time he's able to spend on content.

Business is hard and weird. You can't always just hire more people when you need to. Sometimes it's because business is just weird and hard. Sometimes it is management just not giving a damn. They've had a lot of complicated stuff go down between the merger, and then the sale. I don't know what the reason is, but Jeff says Red Venture has been much more supportive than the past owners, so hopeful this all sorts itself out, sooner rather than later.

I think a lot of peoples' issue is that we've been saying that for multiple years now and not only has it not improved, it's actually gotten much worse.

@nasher27: Yes. I would agree with that. But there's nothing anyone can do about that. And I don't think there's anyone more aware of that than the staff, being understaffed for so long.

I've been understaffed at jobs before. It sucks. It's lead me to quit jobs because it's just not worth it. It's kind of the only option. Wait it out, hope it gets better, or quit.

I understand the desire to jump to conclusions or hit the panic button and want old GB back, but I think a lot of you are overemphasizing the lack of QLs.

Summer is notoriously slow for games (not saying there have been no releases, just that there haven't been hot hot hot releases), Jan was just on vacation, and Jason just moved.

There's not much more to it. We all know GB is rebuilding, adding more content to the schedule over time, and getting back on its feet. So we just have to wait.

I think I tend to have a more relaxed reaction to changes or shifts in GB content because I've seen people react to GB content the exact same way for years. There's too much, or too little. It was always better before and whatever is happening currently isn't as good. I remember when they were bought by CBS and suddenly the basement bar was the greatest era of GB, then they moved to the 1st floor and everyone missed the old couch studio.

Maybe just take a relax and hope things pick up a bit.

@finaldasa: No. It’s never been like this. That’s ridiculous. Surely you aren’t really that oblivious? You can’t compare switching offices and loosing the couch to the state that GB is in currently.

The conversation has changed and people just don’t have the same enthusiasm for what GB does, and with good reason.

It’s really annoying when people say “we’ll just have to wait and see”. It’s that attitude that lets them release a podcast, a UPF and call it a week. And then you’re lucky if half of them aren’t “on assignment”. How long will we have to wait and see then? I’ve waited so long my yearly subscription is almost done and they’ve barely released anything worthwhile, if anything at all while it was active.

now that i think about it west coast imo went down hill since they got rid of the couch i totally get why they did it but the vibe changed some ... but that was fine this tho is totally different now. like nickm said its alot of podcast +upf and calling it a week and i think alot of us can agree that wasn't what we wanted when we paid for our subs. hopefully it gets better but honestly its been steadily downhill all year imo so telling ppl wait n see almost feels like stringing them along. as for enthusiasm i think it verys by topic but its hard to not agree that theres been a bit of lacking of energy overall with the remaining staff. sure the situation has to be depressing and its hard to not understand but at the same time its not on us to have to either. fact is despite how we nor the staff might feel GB is technically a product and while ppl can say vote with your wallet its not always that simple. ppl already paid happily when things were better or in good faith and just aren't getting what they want from it this isn't like a humble monthly where you can just pause your sub and unpause it when theres something you want but frankly that would be nice at this point tho that is a different topic.

as for the "you’re lucky if half of them aren’t “on assignment” yeah thats been pretty true alot this yr . it happens but when you only have 1 actual core GB staff member on a bombcast in a week its almost like why bother? theres nothing wrong with guests and no offense to jeff B and danny they're great but its just not the same as having the actual staff in there. but that said if they had more staff that too wouldn't be as big of an issue as say last week n the one before.

Do unsatisfied people feel trapped here because they can't find any worthy alternative to GB? Everyone from the "glory days" is gone aside from Jeff so it's never going to be less painful than now to cut ties with your nostalgia for the past, if that's what's keeping your hopes up. I don't treat support as a weird obligation so dropping things I don't enjoy is easy, especially if it's as cheap as GB premium. If the thought of missing out on content torments you that much, then GB isn't actually as bad as you think it is.

@brian_: Only seeing and catching up to this thread now but I wanted to ask who was the part-timer you alluded to working with WWE?

Honestly, yes. I echo so many of the thoughts expressed in this thread, but at the same time thinking about letting my subscription lapse seems completely strange to me. I have been following the core crew since probably 2004 or around that time, came over when Jeff got fired and it was just Arrow Pointing Down and subscribed since day one. Giant Bomb has been a huge part of my life through ups and downs, but honestly, I can't even tell you the last video I watched of theirs. I think the last Bombcast I heard was in May. Yet, I am still here.

I have felt like Giant Bomb was slipping away from me since the pandemic hit. Before that I still watched and listened, though less and less frequent. I don't enjoy the Twitch streaming format, and I agree with the others a big part of the reason I loved Giant Bomb was the in-studio content. Seeing Jeff being so vehemently against any one coming back, when other game channels like Funhaus have been going back into their office and improving their content immensely after not being forced online any more, I gotta be honest, it feels like the site is slowly losing all relevance. Seeing Kunakai's post they went rom 9 to 6 down to 3 or 5 employees in a year with no new hires really hit me. It makes me realize why Vinny, Alex and Brad left, whatever is going on at Giant Bomb is not sustainable and they still had things to say but couldn't. Maybe the site will morph into something else and be successful and I hope that is true. But it probably will be with out me at some point, because I am coming here for the content anymore I am coming here because of the good times I used to have here.

@brian_: When three people that used to work for Giant bomb can put out so much more content going independent something is very wrong with how things are managed.

As a subscriber what's going on behind the scenes and stuff like that doesn't matter if it isn't reflected in the output.

Well, my annual subscription doesn't run out until November... so "trapped" might be a good way of putting it. Had I known it would be like... this... I probably wouldn't have renewed last year and if there aren't marked improvements I won't be renewing this year.

Can’t tell if this is Giant Bomb GT or Giant Bomb Super

@chaz934: this is Giant Bomb Ultimate Battle 22

People need to diversify where they get their content from. Plenty of streamers and youtubers out there - former GBers count among them.

I'm not saying "if you don't like it, leave." Just mix it up a little. Maybe that way you don't feel so discontented when one place isn't producing things that meet your expectations.

@permanentsigh: That “If you don’t like it leave/try something else” thing would have been absolutely valid, if people didn’t put up money upfront, which is sort of the root of the issue. I used to follow Waypoint, but don’t anymore. However, since they never got money from me, I don’t feel salty about it whatsoever. Giant bomb with their premium memberships is different.

@nickm: you have often been very deeply invested in making your point about getting your money's worth and I think you don't like this site much any more. I hope you turned off auto-renew.

@permanentsigh: I feel ripped off, for sure. I’ve tried to raise my issues with the staff, but was waived off. From here I have two options: to accept and forget, or make myself and my displeasures heard. I chose the latter. It’s a free forum. Oh, and of course I’ve turned off auto-renew, why wouldn’t I?

@chippy180: Dan Ryckert

@nickm: My point wasn't to say it's the same, it's that I've heard these exact arguments before.

And if you feel there isn't enough content then don't watch? I don't like telling people to just leave but there's nothing keeping you here. If you feel the staff aren't doing enough and creating enough then I'm not sure what to tell you?

I want a robust and healthy GB just like you, I just don't see the point in worrying about it endlessly. Or what some people seem to do where they question all decisions and choices preserved through offhanded comments.

I think what people would prefer to help assuage a lot of this stress is just a bit more communication and they've said before things often change so much behind the scenes that they don't even know when to communicate changes.

@finaldasa: Jesus Almighty, what part of “I’m a paying customer” don’t you people understand?

@bleichman:

Nextlander has the benefit of being set up to be run by three people from the start. Giant Bomb, over the last 6 or seven years, grew to need triple that number of people to operate, lost them, and are still trying to recover. People can't just look at other places and say "Well they only have three people too. Why are they putting out so much more stuff?" That's like saying "Well the local Ma & Pa store is run by only two people. Ma & Pa. I'm Walmart. Why do I need all these employees at my store when Ma & Pa are running their store by themselves?".

@nickm: No need to be upset. The subscription isn't forced on you. They've said before if you feel you aren't getting your money's worth, unsub and come back another time.

@brian_: ok, but in this scenario “Ma and Pa” somehow offer more on their shelves than Wallmart.

@finaldasa: One could argue, perhaps, that this being a thoroughly recurring issue is something of a problem that many of us have excused in various ways for a little too long.

@finaldasa: problem is, if you decide to unsub 1-2 months in, they still keep all of your money. The same people that were championing Cyberpunk refunds, because the quality was not up to par.

Edit: for a yearly sub, that is

@finaldasa: also, I’m quite capable of deciding what to be upset about all by myself, thank you very much.

Again, Nextlander was designed to be run by three people. Current Giant Bomb isn't. If Walmart only had two employees, they'd have nothing on their shelves.

@brian_: As @bleichman clearly states in the quote you pulled, that comparison only holds water if, ya know, Giantbomb produced 3 times the content or provided 3 times the service? You really seem to be missing the point people are making. If the way Giantbomb has been managed and run has resulted in their ability to release content being hampered, then that needs to change. Simply saying "well that's just how it is, maaaaan" isn't an excuse for a flagging service. And, if they are making attempts to change the way things are done behind the scenes, then simply acknowledging that would go a long way. For all intents an purposes, every subscriber to Giantbomb is a stakeholder, as Jeff has clearly stated many times over the site would not exist without the subscription service. Some basic communication could alleviate a lot of the complaints in this thread, but that has never really been Giantbomb's style.

@brian_: yup, in that case GB is terribly mismanaged.

@efesell: I think that's totally valid and from what I can tell people just don't feel listened to. I think there needs to be more empathy flowing from both sides.

Users need to understand changes don't happen in a matter of weeks or months and GB should maybe listen to and explain more of what's happening.

@finaldasa: I think this is a matter entirely on Giantbomb, I think in general the users have been very patient. Perhaps too patient and too willing to talk about oh its just slow in the summer or oh you know its time to prep for GOTY or well you know its the holidays now what are you gonna do...

At a certain point it is no longer unreasonable to start demanding more of the thing your website is supposed to be doing. Be civil of course, but also be heard.

There's a reason that 'they're still getting used to the new office...' is a meme, after all. Every time people voice their concerns, there are people running defense with whatever excuse is the current flavor of the month.

@finaldasa: people have been patiently waiting for things to pick up for a hot minute now. Not weeks or months, but for over a year. I agree that having staff come on here to explain what’s happening would go a long way, but somehow after several of these type of threads, I severely doubt it, hence the frustration. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and was quite excited when they announced new shows, but damn. Things aren’t really happening, are they?

Most of the complaints in here are totally valid. There are obviously some extenuating circumstances with COVID, corporate acquisition, staff attrition, etc., but it's also fine if you aren't willing to accept those as an excuse for any drop in quantity/quality of content.

The best option if you really want to make it clear you're not satisfied is to cancel your subscription.

You also can and should explore other content out there. GB doesn't have to be your one stop shop, and frankly, they've never really tried to be that. This has always been a personality driven site where the staff talks primarily about the games and topics they care about, and that is going to leave some gaps in coverage of things that you might care about.

@nickm: Well while I do understand frustrations and concerns about lack of content, not gonna listen to anyone complain about a worldwide pandemic hurting content production. 2020 had a lot of concerns and while it would've been nice if GB could have converted to perfect production from home, there were a few bigger worries.

@finaldasa: honestly, it feels like the GB pandemic is several times worse than forg the rest of us working folk. Or for Nextlander or for the rest of the internet, for that matter. Stop using that excuse.

Dealing with humans and running a business is not a cold, hard logistical math problem. It's complicated. I don't know how to make it any more clear that you can't just look at another thing and go "they're doing this with this number, so this other thing should be doing this with this number".

Then what's the solution? Is their some secret to speeding up the pace of management that they are failing to utilize? Should everyone just quit their jobs, give up on Giant Bomb, and go independent?

In so far as any consumer is a "stakeholder" in anything they consume. But Giant Bomb is owned by another company. They have actual management they need to report to that actually pay their checks, manage their budget, etc.

We've gotten that in the podcast. The plan for the future has been laid out. They've said they need to hire more people.

I'm not sure what everyone is complaining about. With a full time job I can barely catch every they produce right now....plus the subscription is cheap in the grand scheme of things.

I think a lot of frustration could be alleviated if, as others have said, GB was transparent about their whole work flow. There have been only a couple behind-the-scenes style videos over the last five years (the stream where all of the video guys were out on GB West, and Jeff called Vinny trying to figure out how to work the production equipment was a fun one).

Saying they spend a lot of time in "meetings" or "planning" is about as much of a non-answer as can be given. I'd love to just see one week showing exactly how Jeff, Jan and Jason spend the 35-ish of 40 hours not recording videos. Censor what needs to be censored regarding RV or CBS business practices, but I think it'd help everyone understand what's going on and be more specific with their criticism. Without this information, there is only speculation.