Would you donate to save them from leaving?

I would not.

Changes come. It’ll be okay.

Everything ends. It's tough, but that's life.

Some people already at bargaining while I'm still in denial/anger...

I really don't think it's just about money. This is the most literal "bargaining" stage of grief you can get, but huge life decisions (and business decisions) have already been made. Vinny said nobody is being forced out.

Buy you and your wife something nice. Spoil your kid.

I doubt money is the sole issue here. I don't want to speculate, but I've sat in a lot of underpaid jobs because I didn't like the uncertainty of leaving for something unknown.

I don't think there's an amount that a community could raise that would convince them to stay.

I would happily pay to keep them in board, but also understand that it wouldn’t and shouldn’t change their minds. They are rightfully free to steer their ships wherever they need or want to go. I can’t and won’t stand in the way of that.

I absolutely would not.

If they had put out a call for donations then I would consider it but they haven't. We have no idea what their reasons for leaving are, but I don't think we can assume they are financial.

And you wouldn't be donating to the duders directly. You'd be giving money to a venture capital group and...man...that's just not a thing to do. They have enough money. Subscriptions are different because you're buying a service. Don't donate to corporations!

I realize that this is hard for a lot of people but it's just the end of an entertainment product. It's no different than people leaving a TV show or a radio station or whatever. It happens. It sucks when it's something you love but you'll get through it. You'll find other things to occupy your free time, whether that's New Improved Giant Bomb, Now With More Youths, or The Vinnycast if that happens, or something else.

People are comparing this to when Ryan died and it's not at all like that. That was a horrible tragedy. This is just a natural and normal part of life, and a year from now hopefully they'll all be happier and Giant Bomb will be in a great place and this will just be a rough transitional period.

Let it go. We just have to let it go.

It's up to Brad, Vinny and Alex to decide what to do next. I don't see this being a budget issue but one where all three want to tackle new challenges and aren't the young men they once were. Both Brad and Vinny pointed this out on the Bombcast. Video game coverage (sadly) is a young persons game nowadays.

It sucks, but I remember the exodus from Gamespot when that happened and look what we got out of that. Maybe it's a positive change for all involved.

Look I get that its sad, i'm sad about it, but you need to realise this is more than just money. The bombcast pretty much explained why they are going. They have had enough of this type of work and I totally understand. Grasping at straws and asking what we would donate is not the answer man.

@machofantastico: Video game coverage has always been a young person's game. It's underpaid and often has brutal hours and it's hard to think of anyone older than mid 40s who has had a substantial career in it. Maybe a few people in magazine editing back when magazines were a thing, or executive producing TV shows or whatever, but the writing/on camera talent has always been 20s and 30s. Look at the people who were at Gamespot along with Jeff and the gang. They were all basically children!

I think it's actually likely that this will be less the case in the future than in the past because more people have built their own brands around video game coverage. So Danny O'Dwyer at NoClip will probably keep doing that. And Jeff will keep doing the Giant Bomb thing at least for now. And there will be others who will have more Roger Ebert like careers where they continue to be relevant at least to their audience even as they get into their 50s, 60s, and 70s.

But as much as we see streamers as being super young compared to us, that's just because we're much older than we were when Jeff, Vinny, Alex and Brad started. They were younger than a lot of the streamers are today!

I don't think that'd work. If this was happening purely because of financial issues, they probably would've brought that up. I also can't imagine Jeff would've stayed onboard if that was the reason.

It sucks for me personally and will probably suck even more later on, when it sinks in properly and I realize I won't hear Vinny joining in for a Ratchet & Clank QL in about a month or hear the three of them listening to old cartoon show intros or video game music on the Hotspot. But that's life.

@daveydave: the way i read the room/podcast when i listened to it a couple of hours ago i don't think its nessessarily they've had enough of this type of work so much as i think it has something to do with the corperate side of things. i mean honestly vinny in particular looked kinda heartbroken :/

@styx971: Guess we took different things from it. Vinny spoke about the long hours, the behind the scenes stuff we never see, having to be public facing even when tough. But whatever we take from it, its a bummer and I wish them all the very best.

I think there's multiple angles to this sort of question that make it difficult to just hard agree/disagree with a yes or no of increased prices/donations. I certainly wouldn't just blindly donate additional money to Giant Bomb/Red Ventures without a specific understanding of why I'm doing that, but I would happily put my money where my mouth is if the question was specific and addressed some key understandable issue like for instance "we need more money to return to physical studios."

I would fully support GB at a higher level than I have been since the very beginning. I've always had multiple years of subscription paid in advance already hahah.

What's most important to me though is whether the GB crew and their family is healthy and happy, whether at GB or not. But I think it gets near impossible to ask for more money - and even be honest about needing it - when your company is owned by a larger corporation rather than being a small company working from a basement.

@daveydave: fair. i got that part out of it too it just seemed like something higher up in the chain might have wanted things the guys weren't willing to commit to . specially when its 3 longtimers in a wack i feel like it had to have been a major thing about things going forward to have that happen honestly. Either way its definitely a sad thing and i too wish the best for them. they were honestly part of what i still loved about the content on this site so it hits hard :/

I don't think it's a money thing (or completely a money thing, at least). They're getting older. Most people don't stay in the industry -- at least this side of it -- for anywhere near how long they have. Like Frozen Girl said, you have to let it go.

That said if they start up a podcast patreon or something I would donate day one no doubt. I'd feel weird giving money to Red Ventures like that, though.

People of Giant Bomb don't belong to us fans, but to themselves. These are not decisions that are made hastily and definitely not something that can be backpedaled. Changes are tough but can also be hugely positive... Remember how GB started, it can happen again.

Jesus Christ, this is fucking weird. They are people, and assuming simply that money is all they need to do what you want them to do is the height of entitlement. It's like a whole new level of speculating about new hires (don't do that, either).

@styx971: I think it makes a lot of natural sense when one long-timer decides to leave that others might consider whether it's time for them to follow suit. It's possible that all of them had been considering this for some time, and that one of them making the move sparked the others to rip the band-aid off in one go. I'll repost what I put in the FB group earlier, because it feels relevant - though I'll of course note that these are their personal decisions and we should respect them for that.

"Vinny specifically noted that it was their decision. That doesn't necessarily mean that a change in circumstance didn't cause them to rethink their role and want to move on, but it sounds from Jeff talking like this has been in discussion for a while now.

I also got the impression from both Vinny & Brad that they have contemplated this a lot in recent years. Vinny often talks about wanting to spend more time with his kids, and Brad has often mentioned how he finds it increasingly difficult to concentrate so solely on video games with everything else going on the past few years. I'm sure the pandemic only caused them to further reconsider.

Regardless, speculation of course only goes so far. We'll just have to wait and see what they do. But honestly above all else, I trust Jeff. I think if there had been anything truly nefarious, he'd be walking away too."

Anyway, to answer the OP, I agree with the comments above that this is a ridiculous and weird way to look at it. Three people who have given use decades of entertainment have likely all spent a long time coming to a difficult decision to move on with their careers. The least we can do is respect that instead of trying to bribe them to change their minds.

@bigsocrates: The TV show thing is the comparison I keep making when talking about this as well. But the more I've thought about that, I've come to realize it is that, but on a much greater scale. With most TV shows, you're spending 30 minutes to an hour a week for 20ish weeks a year with those people. With Giant Bomb, I'm personally spending 5+ hours per week every single week watching and listening and to these guys and have been for over a decade.

Things change, people move on, and the world keeps spinning. This one is just going to hurt a little worse for a little longer than most.

@DrSwank: Please don't.

@woodyrson: Depends on the show. If it's something like The Tonight Show or Conan then that could be something you watch every night. I remember being a little bummed when Jon Stewart left the Daily Show. If it's a radio show that could be up to 3 hours a day. I never had that kind of relationship with a radio show but there were people who listened to Rush Limbaugh (who I personally despised; he's just an example) every day for hours for decades.

This isn't really different than Conan folding up his nightly show or a radio mainstay going off the air. It's just a thing that happens.

The important thing is that everyone's healthy (to our knowledge) and okay, and I'm sure they'll land on their feet. And we'll find other stuff to watch or listen to. At the end of the day this site has community features, yes, but it's ultimately a source of entertainment.

uh no. They made a decision. It's sad for us, but these people are allowed to live their own lives.

@DrSwank: My wife and I talked about Giant Bomb and what it means to us and where we think it's going and the way it's affected us for several hours last night. In terms of a place where we could just forget the crap of the world and find a refuge, and laugh with a bunch of smart video game people, man, GB probably kept my wife and I sane over all the years we've been watching it.

So, I get the emotion around the end of an era.

But the problem here though is that, even if we assume the deciding factor is purely financial (and these situations are almost always way more complicated than that), a single one-time fundraising push wouldn't be enough. If the problem is revenue, then it has to be sustainable, consistent revenue, year over year, or all you've done is push the problem off to next year.

To address the financial side, the real question is whether or not the fanbase would support an increase in premium subscription prices. GB has never done a price increase, as far as I can remember -- but even in an era of low inflation, there's been inflation -- $50 now doesn't buy what $50 got you in 2011. But, given some of the other forum threads, I don't think there's any stomach for that, especially with the race to the bottom in terms of content pricing in general.

In other words - this probably wouldn't help even if it was the sole reason, and it's extremely unlikely money was the sole reason. Though, I'm sure the people involved appreciate the sentiment.

sure change can be sad, but they seem ready. i promise you they've considered this much more carefully than any of us have, and i respect that.

I get the sentiment, but this isn't a necessary thread IMO.

I doubt the reason for them to leave was monetary. It was their decision to move on with their lives and I'll respect it, even if it means less of what I wanted from this website.

You know, what I really want to donate money to is Alex and Vinny and whoever else they want to talk to, to just do a weekly podcast. I don’t care what they talk about, and they can just record the Skype call or something and do away with video. I’d subscribe to that patreon for as much as would be necessary.

Would it save them? Are they getting asked to leave?

I'd patreon 10 bucks/month for 5-7 epoisodes a year of a catch-up podcast with Jeff, Brad, Vinny and Alex in which they casually talk about video games (mostly, but also about whatever they want).

Yes. I would and I have been premium since I think ‘13.

But listen to how Vinny talked about this on the bombcast. This is not about that.

I’m distraught as fuck. But we have to respect their decision. We’re not entitled to their work here. Wish them well and let them go.

I’ll just go back and watch some old stuff with Austin and vinny and Alex.

But yeah. Fuck, I’m sad.

People need to move on sometimes. Asking someone to stay at a place where they aren't happy for whatever reason isn't fair.

Not sure this question and the reality of the situation are quite on the same page, here.

I would donate if it would actually make a difference, but I don't think fund raising alone can keep GB afloat indefinitely.

It's about money?
Just finished listening to the bombcast and i couldn't really garner any information about it, i just assume there's an idea of leaving for whatever reason that festered and grew, and the changes with the world, the internet and their employer gave them the push.
I don't think it's all about money, and if it was i don't see how a donation drive would change anything.

I think it's pretty ignorant and borderline insulting to think this is an issue of money. There's obviously a lot going on in the background that we aren't aware of.

Do you really think Brad, Vinny and Alex are leaving because of money??

Hmm, don't wanna say this should be locked but this seems like a thread with heavy assumed speculation. I understand the feeling of mourning that old Giant Bomb going away but this ain't it.

It’s a weird take away that a bag of cash is what is going to solve the issue but I get that a lot of people are really upset by the news and are desperate for things to stay the same. Just gotta let it go and try to move on my dude.

Just let them go. It's okay. You're okay. They're ok. Life goes on!

My assumption is that they are all moving to something more exciting and profitable, even if they themselves might not know it yet. Would be foolish for us to try to compete with some very well off private companies that are hiring out there, and even if we could make them an offer they couldn't refuse, they'd just be doing it for the money. So that's a no for me.

Hoo boy.

The OP is clearly well-intentioned but... look, man, this just ain't it. We don't know why they left. We don't know that it has anything at all to do with money. We know it wasn't an easy decision, and we know Vinny, Alex and Brad all leave with hearts full of love for this site, this community, and their co-workers.

Life is complicated. Work decisions are complicated. The world is complicated. And that's okay. I get the impulse to try to hang on, really I do. But this just isn't how the universe works.

I’m saving my money so that when we get the Patreon in 5 years to reunite the Giant Bomb crew, I’m ready.

No.

In the immortal words of 1990's very own Semisonic, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

Breathe in, breathe out. Change is unstoppable, resisting it is pain. They communicated clearly their reasons. I appreciate the time they put in.

@oobs: Listening to the Bombcast, it sounds like it was 100% their decision, and judging by Vinny's comments it sounds like they just felt that they were at the end of their road for this site. Its definitely disappointing for viewers (I am especially sad about Vinny because I could watch him playing Factorio, Satisfactory, and DSP all day long), but 13ish years is a long time for any one at any position, let alone a media company.

Maybe if we got them a Yacht..

(I have to say it-meant to be humorous, and not disrespectful to the 3 guys leaving)

I don't think them leaving has anything to do with money...

But whatever Vinny, Alex and Brad do next (if it's public-facing), they'll have my money for sure!

It was made abundantly clear during the bombcast yesterday how, although rewarding, challenging and long their roads at Giant Bomb have been. I'll miss having the crew together like hell, but I really hope they get to kick back a little away from the public spotlight.

No.

Look, in the end, this is a job and these people are resigning. Giant Bomb has been there for a lot of my life, through my formative teenage years and with me into adulthood. As a younger person, I would have pitched in, but I realize now my desire then would have been to stop something from changing so that I could continue to enjoy it as it was. It's a selfish desire, it's anxious attachment with a coat of paint. These folks want to move on. Let them move on.

Not in a million years. I've never really liked crowdfunding as a revenue stream and, whilst it does keep plenty of people in work, it negates the fact that, at the top end (Your IGNs, Gamespots and perhaps even GiantBomb), less people are needed. If anything, the Patreon backed outlets apply pressure to the big dogs that leads to that.