Another set of new shows - The Very Online Show, Albummer, and Armed and Rangerous

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Nillock

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I think the formula should be 1) New people come in and talk about video games (Like the excellent Grubsnax) or 2) Existing people/friends of the site talk about something other than video games.

For example, Dan Rykert reviewing a Weezer album would be a must watch for me.

The thing that I loved about Giant Bomb were the personalities and the interaction between them. Just by watching, you got to know their baseline likes and dislikes, so when they talked about something you knew where they were coming from. Like when Vinny played a Factorio like game, I knew what I was getting into by hitting play on a 90 minute video.

Or when Austin played a game that was up his alley while Dan watched, I knew generally that Dan would be asking Austin questions to slightly annoy him, and there would be wrestling references, and that it would be entertaining. Or when Ben would play a MOBA, a genre that I had zero interest in, I would watch because I liked Ben's view on game mechanics and his sense of humor.

When they talked about something other than video games, you knew the players and dynamic of the conversation because you spent time watching them play video games, something we all had in common. We have to have some sort of connection to the personalities or the common foundation of this site, which is video games no matter how many people joke that it's not.

I think that's why I have an adverse reaction to Albummer, it's just so random and unconnected to Giant Bomb. Like when the Muppets hosted Monday Night Raw. It's the first time that I felt that it's not for me anymore, which I am not going to pout over. I think it's cool they are trying to attract different viewers. There are plenty of alternatives out there for video game content for me to enjoy, I just wish it was located here.

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spacemanspiff00

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#152  Edited By spacemanspiff00

@brakara: Remember that they said they want to hire people who are known already. They aren't looking to hire green folks off the street. And these established folks have enough exposure without GB. I guess I should have added that but I figured people knew that.

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peffy

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Out of these 3 shows, the only one I'd try out is the Very Online Show, and that's mostly because I like Tam & Lucy. I have little interest in Western music these days, and zero interest in Power Rangers. I felt bummed about that, but come to think of it, there were tons of shows that I never bothered to watch/listen .. stuff like F1, Dragonball, PokeMonday, FortNite, Metal Gear, Old Games, DOTA, wrestling etc..

Grubbsnax is OK but I'd prefer to hear at least 2 people discussing stuff (I usually don't even bother with solo streams/quick looks for that reason). Borne to Run is OK but I'm kind of sick of FromSoft. Guilty Treasures is OK but I'm not super interested in old games.

I dunno, I guess it feels worse because this site is sorely lacking in content about current games right now. I still love the Bombcast, and UPF sometimes, depending on what games are played.

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cikame

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Of all the new stuff Grub Snax is alright being a fairly quick news roundup but is mostly repeated in the bombcast, and O'Dwyer doing his documentary thing is just always going to be excellent, i'll pass on the rest.

@9w4ns said:

... I'd be super-interested to see the market research that led them to this decision.

I doubt it's that, they just wanted to gather friends and get them to make a variety of stuff, and for better or worse here it is.
Market research would probably have them playing Apex every day and opening loot crates.

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Humanity

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I like Danny’s Guilty Treasures a whole lot. I’ve tried to watch the Demons playthrough but to be completely honest I quickly lose interest and start skipping forward. That one is maybe on me since I had earlier in the year watched another streamer go through that game multiple times getting a platinum so I’m all tapped out on Demons for the foreseeable future.

I’ll give the online show a watch but that’s about it. The music show that has no relation to the site in any way is the biggest head scratcher for me. Now that we have several oddball features underway I’m hoping the next batch of shows will be game related.

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goosemunch

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What Albummer makes me wonder is, just how big is GB's search radius for seeking outside talent? Because if it doesn't have to related to video games, and if it doesn't have to involve anyone from "GB extended universe"... Well then, the sky is the limit, isn't it? For all I know, they could currently be in negotiation with hundreds/thousands of random youtubers ranging from - oh I don't know - political commentaries to scented candle reviews!

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TurtleFish

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I've tried really hard to not say anything about GB editorially for all the years I've been around -- my usual mantra is "if you don't like it, just don't watch and go do something else." I'm mostly a lurker, and that's my most comfortable mode to operate in.

But I'm breaking that rule here because I feel like I've misunderstood something critical which is fundamental to why I subscribe to GB.

Like, when people were talking about "different directions", I thought "different directions in video games." Like, the tone set by Grubbsnax, Borne To Run, Guilty Treasures. But the next wave of new shows now has me scratching my head as to what GB is going to be in the future.

What I'm looking for, and what GB provided for the longest time to me (since late 2010 when I listened to my first Bombcast), was extremely entertaining broad video game coverage by a group of interesting and personable people who had experience, insight, and editorial standards to produce valid opinions, and that I could trust their opinions and use that to determine what games I should play (which is really important when you only have time to play a few games a year.) And it was done in a format where, regardless of whether I had several hours or only a single hour of spare time, I could get something that hit those goals. Bombcast, settle in to watch a Thursday Night Throwdown or UPF in later years when I had the time -- or maybe scan the Quick Looks over the previous 7 days and pick 1 or 2 to go through over lunch one day when I didn't.

The really cool part was that GB also led me to try stuff I would normally have never tried. Hitman? Horizon Zero Dawn? Outer Wilds? DOTA? Trackmania? DCS? Wouldn't have gone near any of those without GB's influence.

Now, it's really easy for these feedback pieces to turn into some customer ultimatum BS, and that's not the intent. In the end, I'm just a data point on the graph, another face in the crowd. GB has to do what GB has to do, because, in the end, it's a business and if the analytics say content diversification is the way to go, then that's the way to go. If it turns out that the change crosses some threshold where I feel like my money is better spent elsewhere, that's what I'll do - but nothing personal, no rancor, no drama, just good luck, God bless and I hope it all works out, and I'll still try to check in with the Bombcast from time to time.

But I do feel like a fundamental shift is happening here, and that it's worthy of some feedback of "Hey, this isn't why I came here, this isn't why I'm paying for a premium subscription."

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AndersWarming

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altdimension

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You're never going to love everything (do you love all the Netflix shows they produce?) but there should be a couple in there that you like. Tbh the podcast, Grubbsnax and Jan + Pokemon is enough to keep me subscribed.

I do hope they continue with quick looks though.

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ghost_cat

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I hope that once the contract is over for 2MtLN that it's the end of them making content for GB, because that shit was, to me, awful and unwatchable.

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OtterChaos

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@beatle said:

I feel like people are forgetting that they specifically said they wanted to try really different things and just allow spaces for their friends/colleagues/other artists come and make cool stuff. They specifically don’t want it to be just a website about video games anymore. Plus, they also said that some of these shows are going one offs. It’s totally fine that people are disappointed and have criticism, especially if you paid for a sub. And I also don’t think that criticism that is just essentially ‘this isn’t what you’ve done for the past decade’ is very useful because doing something different is the point! I think at the beginning they even said throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what sticks.

I've still yet to read all the comments in this thread so sorry if this has already been talked about but what concerns me is that these changes aren't coming from a desire for change from Jeff G and the GB staff but from RV management. If they wanted to continue with focus on gaming they had three people already on staff who could do so but when told what direction GB was going Vinny, Brad and Alex left to go create "GiantBomb Classic" as I'll call it over at Nextlander. Why did they leave if not due to the drastic change in format that they saw coming? Perhaps it was just time for them to go and it looks like they are doing well with over 10,000 patreon's (including me) but why is it taking so long for GB to get more gaming coverage back up an running? Personally I don't believe they will so my sub has been canceled but since I pay year to year and my re-up was in April I'll be able to watch this evolve over the next 8 months or so.

The current gaming content isn't all that appealing to me with no quick looks, Guilty Treasures is IMO a fantastic concept but it has a limited content issue, once you do Bakalar, Jan and Jason who is left to feature? Again if this wasn't a premium show then sure Tamoor, Lucy and others from outside the GB sphere would be fine but needing to pay money to see non-GB folk is a tall order again all just my opinion.

So gaming seems lacking atm and new features seem more like a internet clearing house website now and has me asking why would Jeff G want this for his website? I don't know but believe RV is directing this not him and I don't like the way this is going. I also don't think any of this new content is going to grow the subscriber base.

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djredbat

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#162  Edited By djredbat

I think its time Giant Bomb changes its name to Giant Podcasts.

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OtterChaos

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@turtlefish: Well said and I agree on many points. While others may decry the negative posts contained in the various threads the GB staff is getting valuable information about what might work and what isn't. Direct feedback on why you are growing or shrinking your customer base is worth a lot and just having people disappear from your space without knowing why isn't helpful. Those supporters who like the new directions a likewise helping out. Know your customer seems pertinent right now for this website.

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Beatle

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otterchaos: So if this is coming from RV, I totally think that's a step in the wrong direction. Although I also think that they (GB) seemed to indicate that RV was on board with what GB wanted to do, so I'm not sure. I don't know if I see Jeff G. destroy his own website with him still there. It can be for money, given how much Nextlander makes.

I am disappointed with the lack of QLs, but I can also see there being a bunch of time put into communication and production right now that they don't have a bunch of time to play so many games.

I also don't see Danny coming on board if the website is turning into a zombie site, not run by themselves. He doesn't,need the exposure and it could just hurt his reputation.

I will say I have like zero interest in that web show though.

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styx971

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@turtlefish: Well said and I agree on many points. While others may decry the negative posts contained in the various threads the GB staff is getting valuable information about what might work and what isn't. Direct feedback on why you are growing or shrinking your customer base is worth a lot and just having people disappear from your space without knowing why isn't helpful. Those supporters who like the new directions a likewise helping out. Know your customer seems pertinent right now for this website.

This in a nutshell , ppl seem upset that ppl are speaking their minds about content but frankly if ppl don't voice they're opinions how are they honestly gonna know. sure you can say ppl who are happy don't say anything but often times ppl who dislike something just walk away too. i think more transparency about intent could help but even they might not have nailed any real plans down from how it ffeels. idk . i feel kinda burned right now about my sub after hearing these newest ones and tthe limited stuff i care about lately but my sub drys up in sept 2022 so they have a yr n a month to change my mind. that said i almost rather have a refund and put it elsewhere if everything they have planned down the road is going to be more in the albummer vein cause i really thought that was bad.

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RimTiggins

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Seems like GB is gonna turn into a general internet culture website, which for RV makes a lot of sense since they have a dedicated video game site in Gamespot. Not saying they're calling the shots here, because I don't believe they are, but I can see why they'd be enthusiastic about this shift in direction.

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Chillster7000

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It is interesting that the sub sale happened before these announcements. You think they could issue refunds on prepaid years. If your sub runs out in sept 2022 you have used 0% of that prepaid year so far. Just like how games allow you to cancel preorders.

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Lively

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#168  Edited By Lively

My sub expires in October; currently it seems like RV is trying to shoe-horn their other media stuff into the GB brand with very little effort shown to make sure it's a good fit. It's pretty much of zero interest to me based on what they've shown so far.

Maybe after the pandemic is truly over, someone is going to recreate the Giant Bomb magic with an in-person studio and everything. I don't know if that will happen at this company or somewhere else, but if it it does I'll definitely be back.

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fugoy

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Ok so is the new conspiracy that Red Ventures is forcing them to do these shows? That's where we're at right now? It is so unbelievable that maybe just maybe, Jeff is the one who wants to do this stuff? What is wrong with y'all?

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deckard

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@lively: Well put - you convinced me to put my money where my mouth is and cancel my sub. I’ve been a subscriber since Day 1 - the day after Dave Snyder explained how subs were going to work on one of the live shows back in ‘08. Have subbed annually every year for 13 years. Like you said, maybe after the pandemic is truly over and the studio makes a comeback I may return. But until then peace out everybody. I’m heading over to Nextlander and riding off into the sunset.

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SchrodngrsFalco

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I wouldn't be kinda down about this if there wasn't so much unrelated to video games going on. The lack of Quick Looks and games coverage in general, along with the amount of new shows unrelated to video games is just bizarre. All three of these aren't about video games and for video game related shows we got a monthly Guilty Treasures, and 3/4 weeks/month Borne to Run (so 1 weekly video game show release), and Grubbsnax which I enjoy but is really kind of lateral to the bombcast.

This just doesn't feel good as a subscriber. I get GB has always been a video game site *wink wink* but this feels a bit past that line. In the past when we've had that side-content, we've had video game content aplenty. I'm in it with my sub until next year so I'll get to see this through one way or another but can't say I'll be engaging at all with albummer (which the premise is just awful, I'm sorry) or Rangers-cast (just personal taste). Very Online Show is meh for me but I like the crew so I'll have it in the background when I really need something.

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youeightit

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#172  Edited By youeightit

@fugoy said:

Ok so is the new conspiracy that Red Ventures is forcing them to do these shows? That's where we're at right now? It is so unbelievable that maybe just maybe, Jeff is the one who wants to do this stuff? What is wrong with y'all?

I think the thing that feels so unbelievable is that a lot of us tend to think that Jeff, by and large, has pretty good taste and that the majority of this new content doesn't seem reflective of that. And the fact that Jeff actually hasn't said a whole lot about the new content in general makes it feel like maybe it's because some of it in fact doesn't reflect his taste. I don't know if there's a big conspiracy but everything certainly feels messy.

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styx971

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#173  Edited By styx971

@rimtiggins:yeah it would be nice but i'm not gonna hold my breath , at least itt was only 35 vs full sale but yeah they hyped shit up right at around the sale and frankly it sounded alot more promising than it was, i figured another sale wouldn't happen by the time it expired and with the promise of dan stuff in the works it was like why not, i'm hopeful that that pays off but only time will tell.

@fugoy: i mean who is to say whats going on behind the scenes but i feel like timing wise its definitely a fair conclusion to jump to. the timing on everything between they guys leaving ( honestly 3 at once and not as soon as the purchase happened like abby was a bit suspect anyway) between bakalar getting his promotion and everything it honestly feels like they definitely are trying to shift things way from how things are. i totally get the things jeff g has mentioned in rethinking things here n there cause hes been saying it for a while but i wouldn't have ever read that as what we're seeing now personally. yes it could be just a staffing issue too like others have mentioned. when the guys left he had after all said he wished they'd all go on this 'journey' together or something to that effect and if they were here there would be more normal content i'm sure. but its been 4 months now and ell .. thats a third of a yr so is it that hard to find ppl to try and fill in at least 2 of those positions? they're doing contractor stuff as it is so how hard would it be to even test random ppl out for 1-3 months as a probation period to see if they gel? don't get me wrong i hate temp staffing as a former temp worker but before companies started abusing those types of labor it made perfect sense in a 90 days see if its a good fit standpoint.

edit: i'd also like to mention how odd it was vinny 'boosting' bakalar up on the final beastcast , it frankly doesn't feel like its being run by jeff g so much as bakalar probably at this point if you read into that alot mixed with the who way these new shows have been annouced. idk seems weird to me personally.

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LyndBako

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#174  Edited By LyndBako

this thread right now:

Loading Video...
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RimTiggins

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I mean something had to change with the site, and that's been known for a while. GB has turned into a stepping stone for talent rather than a destination, and it no longer makes sense to try to maintain a core staff that produces 100% of the content on the site, especially if that would mean having to replace Vinny, Brad and Alex (not to mention Abby, Ben and Dan as well if they wanted that full roster back).

It's a difficult situation and they're bound to rub people the wrong way as they navigate it, especially when it involves paying members. My hope is they have a vision that honours the past while building for the future, but so far that feels...optimistic. These show ideas are so scattershot and incongruous that it feels like I'm browsing the YouTube recommended page with no watch history. But hey, it's early days and I hope they can make it work.

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RimTiggins

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@fugoy: If that was aimed at me I specifically said I DON'T think RV are forcing them down this route.

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fugoy

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@rimtiggins: No I was referring to the post right above mine.

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LyndBako

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I'd hate to be in Giant Bomb's shoes right now. You are both trying to make something new and also sell it to a preexisting audience that almost exclusively wants "the old stuff".

I have to wonder if it would have been a better business strategy to rebrand/relaunch the site. You'd lose some people, but it would be like ripping off the band-aid

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kcin

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@drwhat said:

This is so stupid. lol. Pour one our for Ryan.

jesus CHRIST what a disgusting sentiment

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Retris

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@nillock said:

I think the formula should be 1) New people come in and talk about video games (Like the excellent Grubsnax) or 2) Existing people/friends of the site talk about something other than video games.

Damn. I had been thinking of a way to put this thought into words, but it really is that simple, isn't it? Thanks for being more eloquent than me.

I've enjoyed Grubbsnax because it's game focused and Grubb has that chaotic frenetic energy Giant Bomb used to have. Armed and Rangerous on the other hand has Jan gushing over power rangers and I love it, it's the best possible sequel to All Systems Goku.

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Efesell

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All of these shows are fine if we were in a place where the site was healthy and these are the next generation of All Systems Goku/Danswers/Power Bombcast/ect.

But right now I think the site is listing heavily and this is not the kind of announcement that looks like its' going to be righted very effectively.

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mbradley1992

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I don't know or care if Red Ventures is driving the new content or not, that doesn't influence my opinion of the content as a subscriber. I think it's weird that some people are hanging on that and others are going "Well it's actually Jeff that is making these decisions", as though the driving force behind the content invalidates someone's opinion.

I agree with what a lot of people have said already, in that I don't think any of this new stuff is for beyond Danny's shows and Grubbsnax. And honestly, I could do without paying for those. Borne to Run captures what I loved about Metal Gear Scanlon and the endurance runs, and I like all of Danny's docu-series so Guilty Treasures is neat, as well. I also like Jeff Grubb's perspective on the industry, so I enjoy his show. That said, I don't know if I'm going to feel the need to keep subscribing just to watch those each week. Danny is still doing NoClip, and Grubb has other shows he does, as well.

This new content isn't for me at all. I like Lucy and Tam (and Bakalar), but I have no interest in that Very Online show. Albummer was too cringey too watch. Maybe I'm old, but that whole thing just felt like "trying-too-hard humor", and honestly I don't care to watch other people listen to an album that they intend to shit on. That seems like spending my time ingesting negativity that, frankly, we could all do with less of on the internet these days. I'm really tired of people monetizing negativity. To me, whether someone else agrees/disagrees, making an entire show whose purpose is to make fun of something just seems weird and cynical to celebrate.

Armed and Rangerous isn't my thing, but one thing I have enjoyed about this site are some of the quirky staff-interest podcasts that spin-off, even if I don't consume them. I'm glad Jan is hitting a stride with his interests on the site the way others have in the past.

I had hoped this new stuff would be focused on gaming, seeing as how Giant Bomb is/was a video games site. None of it has really hit for me, whereas the Nextlander guys went off and kinda kept doing what was going on here. It's becoming apparent to me why they decided to leave, and I'm making assumptions there which could absolutely be wrong. They have different features and interact with their audience to find new things to do. But they keep it simple; they play games, make jokes, and have fun. I feel like that's missing in a lot of this new stuff.

I'll be checking out for a little while. I'm still definitely a fan of the Bombcast, but that's probably where my engagement will end for awhile. Not looking for sympathy on that, just a longtime duder who wanted to voice their opinion.

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mellotronrules

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@fugoy said:

Ok so is the new conspiracy that Red Ventures is forcing them to do these shows? That's where we're at right now? It is so unbelievable that maybe just maybe, Jeff is the one who wants to do this stuff? What is wrong with y'all?

what's hilarious is specifically in the case of albummer- jeff's been wearing a 2M2LN shirt for months and months- i think i remember him wearing it since the start of COVID and was appearing on camera more regularly.

but no i'm sure RV approached jeff and said you simply MUST hire this niche metal humor show- the metrics demand it!

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inspectorfowler

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I’ve been a subscriber for a while as well and as mentioned above, the feedback is worth providing if somebody is going to - or is considering - cancelling their sub. It’s like ghosting an ex ;)

I feel like Jeff has probably lost interest in the old things they were doing. He has mentioned a bunch in the podcasts that the internet sort of “became” Giant Bomb in that recording ”let’s play” videos and playthroughs spanning dozens of hours and streaming your shenanigans so people get to know your personality is normal.

The issue is that nobody does it as well as GB did in the past and so with no place to really go, I do feel a bit “cast out” by the cessation of old-style content and the sudden influx of random stuff. JeffG is right - a lot of their style of content does sort of exist elsewhere, but finding and gathering it is a nightmare. Twitch (sorry to Merry Kish) is a hellhole for discovery - suffering through dozens of streamers who are doing anything they can to keep the under 13-crowd watching while I am trying to to find one well-informed person who can help me make a decision on a game is not a struggle I’m going to engage in.

GB was founded by a core of people with irreplaceable experience in and knowledge of the games industry who also had a spectrum of personalities that made them the model for giving informed and helpful commentary about games while sometimes stepping out of that and having off-topic fun. It may have been one-time lightning in a bottle but it was a hell of a team.

I enjoy taking games seriously and stupidly at the same time, which GB has been great for. Now it’s a hodgepodge of random content and I just couldn’t care less about most of it because it doesn’t help me know what games I might like or would hate or think are great…from a distance. It’s slowly becoming one of those internet culture hubs and I don’t want that.

If a new “core crew” comes in and has the knowledge and ability to be that source for excellent games/gaming commentary and fun then I’ll hop right back in, but until then I’mma let my sub run out and keep wearing my GB hoodies until they all get holes in ‘em ;)

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singing_pigs

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but no i'm sure RV approached jeff and said you simply MUST hire this niche metal humor show- the metrics demand it!

*Marketing exec in a three-piece suit bursts into the room frantically waving papers* "Everyone! We have run the SEO algorithms and we must immediately generate VAN WEEZER CONTENT"

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nasher27

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The whole lineup comes across as a little tone-deaf to me, doesn't really matter if these shows were RV's idea or Jeff's idea. Hopefully after the reception to this first round of shows they'll change it up. Or they don't, and we'll see what happens when all of these purported subscriber cancellations take effect. I can't imagine that will be good for the site, but only time will tell.

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MindBullet

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I'm honestly kind of shocked by the overwhelming negativity two... Three? Shows have generated. It's at a point now that I feel like some of y'all are still working through stuff after the acquisition and Nextlander split and have been looking for an excuse to divest.

I mean, it sucks that things are probably never going to be like they were pre-Covid but the feeling I got from all this was they were trying to do interesting stuff in a world where there is no GB studio. I might not be a Power Rangers fan, but I know Jan is so it makes sense for him to do something with that. Same idea as when we almost had a dedicated wrestling site because so many staffers were into wrestling.

I guess the ultimate question the site is grappling with now is are people here because they're interested in the personalities associated with GB or are they here because they solely enjoy watching and discussing a video game?

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bitbat

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It’s not what I expected but I’ll give everything a try, still interested in what GB looks like once everything settles down!

On a side note, I find it bizzare that GB is the one trying new things while the people that recently left GB are pretty much producing very similar content to their previous work at GB. I was expecting it to be the other way around but let’s see how it goes, it’s all so new.

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Efesell

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Also like.. maybe it's a little mean to say but I need to push back on the argument of this is them doing new interesting stuff because like maybe this is some of y'alls first rodeo but this lineup is A Rewatch Show, a Music Show, and a Pop Culture show. This is the lineup of every podcast network to ever exist now and in perpetuity.

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Onemanarmyy

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#192  Edited By Onemanarmyy

@mindbullet: I think it's also because now a bunch of shows have been announced, people are seeing what the change actually is. No longer a Jeff on every stream. No longer a necessity for things to be videogame-adjacent. Entire crews doing their own shows under the banner of GB. Most people are up for variety and collaborations, but when the collaboration only happens on the business-side of things, that's a tough sell for a personality based site that has spent years of getting users to gel with them. And there are just not that many personalities left to collab with @GB.

And then you look at the careers page of Red Ventures and there are no signs of GB staffing up in the next months at all. I can't even blame GB for that. Like what is the future even going to be? core members are moving, we don't know what the studio situation is going to be, where it would even be located. How do you staff up when nothing is certain?

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OtterChaos

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@beatle said:

otterchaos: So if this is coming from RV, I totally think that's a step in the wrong direction. Although I also think that they (GB) seemed to indicate that RV was on board with what GB wanted to do, so I'm not sure. I don't know if I see Jeff G. destroy his own website with him still there. It can be for money, given how much Nextlander makes.

I am disappointed with the lack of QLs, but I can also see there being a bunch of time put into communication and production right now that they don't have a bunch of time to play so many games.

I also don't see Danny coming on board if the website is turning into a zombie site, not run by themselves. He doesn't,need the exposure and it could just hurt his reputation.

I will say I have like zero interest in that web show though.

Look I'm jaded after decades working for a large company and have seen many exec's come in saying one thing and then behind the scenes doing something completely different before announcing the "new improved" business model so take that into account. Do I believe that RV dumped a bunch of cash onto JeffG and GiantBomb and said "hey here is a bunch of money do what you will with it"? No I don't, this isn't the dot.com boom days here. Also do I think that JeffG once he got the funding decided on a course that three long term friends and valuable co-workers decided didn't have room for them and they all left at the same time? No I don't. All we have is what is in front of us and what they have said and I'm sorry to say I don't believe JeffG's "lets get wild and crazy on the internet" is telling anything close to the full story. YMMV of course and believe me when I say I hope to be proven wrong and the new content will be a step in the right direction, there is no joy to be found in hoping something fails but also I believe I have the right to air my concerns. As for Danny not jumping onto a zombie site, he probably has no deep insight into the machinations going on in the background and is trying to help out as he best knows how and he is a contractor who can jump ship at any point should he determine it necessary.

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deactivated-63cd8ec76d97f

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Man I feel like I'm the only one that's enjoying the new content GB is putting out. Oh well at least I'm not so disappointed that I'm creating conspiracies to rationalize my disappointment lol.

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fugoy

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@mkennedy: Honestly it feels that way but the feedback I've seen from all the shows so far have all been generally positive. Hell even a good amount of "I didn't expect to like this but they won me over" for Albummer which I think was the most controversial one. Who woulda thought?

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inspectorfowler

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@mkennedy: I am legitimately glad that people do enjoy it. In a way I feel like this version of Giant Bomb is “peak Jeff” - the new site feels like a bunch of random things he has talked about being into over the years. You have Grubb doing the news thing, there is a ton of retro content (which is 100% not my jam but I think it’s cool that people love it), you have a music thing, you have people talking about shows they are into, you have people getting into internet culture.

I don’t have any conspiracy theories about this - JeffG is smart as hell and while we all have bills to pay and I’m sure not every meeting with RV bosses is maximum awesome, I think he’s probably navigating this the way he wants. I‘m sure they talked for months about hundreds of possibilities with both GameSpot and GB between those two teams, and I’m sure that within the boundaries given JeffG is doing what he wants to do.

For me, almost all the new content falls flat for me or it falls well outside my interest area so I’m out. If they bring back in a core podcast/QL team that has some ”traditional” content I’m right back in. But the fact that there still a bunch of people who love the new stuff actually makes me really happy because everybody who works at GB is still really cool and they deserve a fan base even if it does rotate through some new people. But like people have said, I think they also need to hear the feedback on why people are or are intending to unsub from premium.

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Dogmantis

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Yep, me too. Not ready to say I hate the new direction and gonna cancel my sub, but I am a little bummed. Honestly, I might could get into these shows... maybe. Here's the thing, if you want to bring neighbors over to be friends we need to play some games. I have no doubt the new people have fantastic personalities, but I just need to see them play games with the giantbomb friends. I just kinda feel like if these new people aren't going to be playing games with the core or appearing semi regularly reacting to someone playing, I'm just not going to care. It's probably just a me thing, but that's just how I'm feeling. I had to warm up to each cast member but after watching them on a show or two with the crew it would click always. side note: when Power Rangers came out me and my friend thought it was garbage and was for babies. We were TMNT kids.lol

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youeightit

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I think the thing that makes this all feel so disconnected and non-cohesive is the fact that Giant Bomb is so intrinsically linked to Jeff and the new content Giant Bomb shows don’t feel attached to him. If anything, it feels like Bakalar is now steering the ship because he’s front and center with a lot of this stuff. At the same time, the site does have a public access tv vibe now that it does seem like Jeff wanted; but he hasn’t exactly been out there championing this stuff much, if any. Like today in the same window that the internet show was being seen for the first time by lots of people, instead of plugging it he plugged his old video games stream. While all this change is happening, the person most associated with the brand is streaming old games, streaming from his garage, and sticking to talking about traditional Giant Bomb on the Bombcast and doesn’t seem to have much to say at all about the new shows.

Do I think it’s a conspiracy? Hell no. I think Jeff has a family and is moving and is dealing with the behind the scenes stuff and who knows what else, and it’s probably a big relief to have the opportunity to not have to be on every show or plug every shower whatever. But it does explain why people are puzzled, because Jeff is the first person a lot of us associate with GB and without him all over the place on basically every show they put out, it doesn’t feel like Giant Bomb.

The new shows aren’t actually bad (Albummer isn’t very good in my opinion but the rest are totally fine). So I don’t think the problem is that people aren’t playing games. I do think the personality driven side of things is not really jiving with people, but that can change. But without the strong Jeff presence, I think the paid subscribers are feeling something akin to “Apple just put a U2 album on all of our iPhones whether we wanted it or not.” But without The Big Bono, it’s not a U2 album.

Or something. I’m going to bed.

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enfo

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Been a member since 2011 and premium since 2013 and I'm not in any rush to change that but nothing announced here is what I'm looking for. I'm all for new blood, new shows, and new ideas. Guilty Treasures first ep was phenomenal and something I can't wait for more of. Grubbsnax seems like this strange, vestigial thing disconnected from the rest of the site that really feels like missed potential. The Souls show is a Souls thing, nothing I'm going to be interested in but I imagine there's still an audience. These new announcements are so far removed from anything I would come to GB for. The Power Rangers show is the most GB-adjacent feeling of them but still nothing I need. The others could not be less appealing. Very disappointed with the new direction so far overall.

This describes my views perfectly.

I don't talk around here much, but I just wanted to voice my opinion to add it to this thread.

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LonelySpacePanda

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I've been here since the first year and I spend hours here every day. The thing that bums me out about this new era of Giant Bomb is that there seems to be so little interaction or polling of fans. It's kind of like how some bands just hate their fans and are there to play a show and leave, and then you have Tyler the Creator hanging out with fans after a show? I get the feeling that Jeff has no interest in actually asking his audience what they want, something that has worked well for other Patreon-funded groups. Instead, it's just this random stuff that feels low effort and isn't all that interesting. I've been watching a few bombcasts -- which is nuts since it was my most anticipated video of the week before -- but otherwise rewatching old series instead. I'll continue subbing for those two things alone but none of the new content so far has drawn me in.