I've always wanted Cara to become part of the GB crew. I'd still love that. Following her, poaching Mary or Carrie would be great as I think they'd both jive well with the crew. Dark horse pick would be Ludwig Kietzmann. I haven't heard much of him since the Joystiq days but I ALWYAS loved that dude.

In the end I'm excited regardless to see who they pick up Dan, Jason, and Austin were such amazing picks that they seem to have this hiring new peeps thing down.

Joe Buck

Obama. Can't risk a career gap in this economy.

Dark horse candidate that will never happen: Paul... wait for it... Barnett. 1: He's British, 2: He has always done well in interviews with the crew. 3: He always seems interesting.

Second, still not going to happen, candidate: SWERY. No translator. Just him. Oddness ensues.

More realistically I imagine them finding a relative unknown like the past two news editors. I don't care about skin tones or gender as long as they are funny... and make an endurance run, or variant like MGScanlon.

Someone who can match Jeff's intensity and ridiculousness in all things.

I didn't understand the request for Mary when Austin left and I don't understand it again. Isn't her primary role at gamespot in video production? The team at San Francisco office already have 2 video staff in the form of Drew and Jason. Whilst yes she would be a great personality to add what would her other role be? Giantbomb very much has its personalities front and center but they are also the staff that do a lot of that work behind the scenes.

Way I see should almost be a replacement for Austin as in a news/features person. In some ways Cara Ellison would be ideal but them she very much has a different approach in terms of long form essays after months of research, not sure if she has a news background? I could be wrong there. As much GB isn't about news they have still broken many stories down the years.

Jeff Green.

Not to mention her reaction to the hiring of Dan and Jason.

This. It was great to have someone on the team (if only for a year) who actually talked about strategy games and isometric RPGs.

I need Vinny to go back so he and Jeff can do a Persona 5 endurance run.

Slightly more seriously, I think Vinny and Jeff have the best dynamic by far.

I'd never heard of Dan or Austin and they were both great. GB will presumably pick someone that fits well with them.

As for diversity and politics, I just hope they pick someone who isn't strident politically, otherwise I don't care.

Tim Turi

YES! If anyone can get Dad back into games journalism it's Patrick KlepekAdam Sessler Giantbomb.

Well now I just want it to be the always vocally political Gita Jackson. She would sooner die than set foot in California though.

Brad's guinea pigs.

The Shaq

Ryan Davis :..(

You did say fantasy draft.

:kishup

Tim Turi would be my pick, I ended up going through a bunch of old game informer replay/super replay stuff a while ago because of Dan and really liked Tim's personality. They definitely need someone more optimistic and upbeat whoever it is though.

I was going to say Cara Ellison, but I'm not convinced GB would actually be the best fit, given how talented of a writer she is and how little writing actually happens on this site nowadays. So yeah, Mary Kish definitely would fit but it'll never happen, etc etc. Just watch her playthrough of all of the Resident Evil games if you want the last good content coming out of Gamespot these days.

I'm not too worried about whoever they hire next. Certainly wouldn't mind someone with slightly more diverse tastes or diverse viewpoints (it was great having Austin around to talk about RPGs or Strategy Games without treating them like byzantine relics from another age) but as long as they gel with the rest of the crew I think I'll be okay.

Johnny Newface I suppose.

GORILLA MONSOOOOOOOOOON

Is Johny V still unemployed? Matt Kessler would also be awesome.

Both never going to happen though.

Looking at her twitter feed I think you and I have very different ideas of what constitutes strident. Gita is not strident. Strident is "here is why people who disagree with me are garbage," and yes, there are a number of those types in the games press. "Here is my politics which you may disagree with but I still treat people with respect," is not strident, at least not to me.

Janine Hawkins would be an amazing hire.

Honestly, whoever is married and settled in San Francisco. The last three who left the West office all did it to start a family somewhere else.

@dragon_puncher: You never know. With all the changes that Gamespot is going down it is possible that Mary might want to leave and Jeff would see a value in her on the site.

Danny is 100% involved in No Clip and won't be doing anything in the industry BUT that.

Endurance Run: The Entire Sonic the Hedgehog Series, Yes, The Entire Series

@savage: Yes to this! Bring back Carrie

This list is lacking John Vignochi, so I will noy take it seriously! JUANNY V FOR LIFE!

Write in for Johnny V!

@arbitrarywater:They're looking for a replacement for Austin, so the job would have plenty of writing.

@boatorious: Try listening to old episodes of the Match 3 podcast and you might get a different opinion. Not meant as an insult towards Gita, but I'm thinking she'd most likely grate you.

Good Fan-Draft list duder.

I would've voted for Kish, but everyone already wrote on how awesome she is and everything and that shes a good pick. And since quite a lot of people wrote that already I voted for someone underrepresented instead.

I think that Alex Zandra would do a decent job but shes way to professional for this shit. The time she was on camera in GBeast should be enough to tell how great she is. She wasn't nervous or anything but rather TOO professional. Dave Lang would also be a decent pick for obvious reasons.

Besides that, my most fav fantasy pick would a gal who calls herself Voidburger who checks all marks for being included as GB staff. She can write (at least I think so) but is also really good at producing videos and has pretty wide range of humor. She doesn't do solo lets-plays so thats pretty much great considering the nature of QLs. Beside this she doesn't do this youtube-reaction-clickbait shit everyone who gets like a billion views does so thats pretty much everything this site needs and more.

Id like to see Matt Kessler. He is funny and I think that he would make a good fit

I know I don't want another Dan (I mean he's fine, but he's not gone, and one is enough on the site/universe). I think I'd like someone more along Austin or Patrick. Someone with different tastes than Jeff, who is a strong presence on the podcast. I'd also like a good writer. I know that's not the way things are going with the site, but I spend the a lot of time on the site at work, I do a lot more reading than watching.

So from that, I think Cara Ellison would be my choice. She's from the UK though so I don't know that'd work.

I want a woman. I think a female perspective is needed. Love Mary and her work on Gamespot. Same for Tina and her work on Kotaku. So I hope GB gives an up and coming female critic a shot.

Someone who's genuinely kind and also isn't sophistic while having a mature understanding of subjectivity yet still eschewing absolute moral and epistemological relativity.

Also someone smart with a good sense of humour, and who likes video games.

Everything else is irrelevant.

Kish or Green

Xavier Woods

I am hoping for a female voice on Giant Bomb. Not for any PC quota filling reasons, but because it would be refreshing to have a woman on the podcasts and videos at this point.

I'd love either Mary or Cara to join the team, but I don't see it as very likely at this point.

"The best person for the job" (I don't know who this is).

Hopefully, they are someone I haven't heard of with unique opinions and backgrounds different from the current crew (surprising like Patrick and Austin were).

@savage: I'm changing my answer to Carrie Gouskos too!

I actually think Nick Robinson would be a great. Intern all growed up. I doubt Polygon would give him up that easy, or that he'd want to lose what he's built with Griffin. But still.

Someone who can get under Jeff's and Brad's skin in an entertaining way and provide enough presence when it's serious talk time.

I don't know who that person is.

I think that may be going a little far. While I definitely would welcome a female voice and personality and I think it would really mix it up, I don't think it *has* to be as you're implying. The key is finding the right personality, which they have always done, so I faith they will continue to do that. I look forward to seeing who it is.

I'd like to see them hire a Kish type. A woman who's funny and knows her shit for a change of perspective. But not Mary, someone new.

I think Max Scoville would fill the Dan Rykert wild card shoes well, but I can see him parting ways with IGN / Brian Altano.

I think Anthony Carboni would also be a great fit, but I think he's stated he has no desires to return to SF/ I would be sad to see We Have Concerns put in jeopardy.

Wait.

Brad is leaving?

1. Cara Ellison, 2. Mary Kish, 3. Mark Macdonald