Starting today, we want to enter a new era of transparency with you, the GB audience. So here’s what you need to know: Giant Bomb and Jeff Gerstmann have agreed to go our separate ways.
We’re not just going to gloss over this kind of heavy-hitting news–it is a big moment. Jeff is a co-founder of Giant Bomb and has been at the heart of the site since it launched in 2008. Whether it's Quick Looks, live streams, or the Bombcast, you have consumed content that he had a hand in making. Jeff has shaped Giant Bomb in profound ways and he's also been a key part of bringing on board the voices that have defined the site through its different eras. To this day, Giant Bomb’s influence on the way video games are covered on the internet is still as pervasive as ever, and Jeff remains inseparably attached to that legacy.
But things change: life unfolds; priorities shift, and people come and go. And the same goes for Giant Bomb.
Many people have called Giant Bomb home, but they've also ventured out in search of new opportunities and, each time, it has been difficult to see, for us as their colleagues and you as a community that follows them. But what has always helped us–and hopefully you–is understanding that Giant Bomb has never been about one person. Giant Bomb has always been greater than the sum of its parts.
What started as a group of people in a basement evolved into a couple of websites in another basement. That became two offices on each coast, and eventually–out of both necessity and opportunity–a group of friends scattered across the States. Fundamentally though, through each of these changes Giant Bomb has remained what it has always been: a bunch of passionate friends talking about and around video games.
And as time goes on–just like the roster of your favorite sports teams or the cast of a show like SNL–the friends, colleagues, and compatriots that make up that group move on, making space for others to shine while ensuring the spirit of the whole continues to thrive. And just like them, each new addition to Giant Bomb is made with the most careful of consideration. Giant Bomb will always remain a bunch of misfits that have banded together.
The Giant Bomb community isn't just us, it's so many people that often go unacknowledged or unrecognized. It's you the vocal fan or the silent one; it's the talented engineers that toil to ensure the site works as it should, and the designers that make everything look and feel like a place you can call home. It's the mods, community organizers, and so many others that are driven by the love of the site and its community to make it a better place. Without their help, Giant Bomb wouldn't be what it is.
This site is a place that brings people together around shared interests and gives them a chance to thrive, form friendships, and have fun. That has been the spirit of Giant Bomb from the start and it’s what we will work our absolute hardest to ensure it remains.
Just like it always has been, Giant Bomb will continue to be a weird and welcoming corner of the internet. A place to celebrate video games and all the things surrounding them, with other like-minded folks who also call Giant Bomb home. Yes, things will evolve, but we can promise you it will be for the better.
Change can be difficult to adjust to. But we are still building the bomb, and you'll get a much more detailed announcement about how on June 7th’s Bombcast, so be sure to tune in. Starting tomorrow, there will be a renewed focus on a core group of nine Giant Bomb crew members, and we’ll be giving updates regarding future content, the plan for Premium and hopefully addressing most of the questions you might have, and maybe even a few you didn’t know you had yet. We are more excited about what's to come than ever and we hope you will be too.
There is no 2.0. There is just Giant Bomb.
See you tomorrow.
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