Host and founder of VGBees, John Warren, is joined every week by cohost Niki Grayson and illustrious guests adjacent to video games and culture for candid, funny, and enlightening conversations about an art form that is both uniting and dividing us.
Every week, The VGBees Podcast will explore trends and touchpoints you need to know in order to have the most well-rounded idea of what's going on in games.
Explore vgbees.com after each episode for notes on each episode as well as written pieces by our collaborators and guests.
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This week, John and Niki ride as a duo to talk about the big American Pope. Also: big questions about how independent games outlets can survive killing Avatar Aang in Fortnite flying an X-Wing in Fortnite glitching a car out of existence in Fortnite the genius of Fortnite nearly eight years in the act of play in Despelote grounding yourself when you're disappearing into games (or whatever, frankly) We answer your HIVE QUESTIONS every single week on the show, but you must JOIN THE HIVE to do so!...
This episode features Jeff Gerstmann discussing the recent media industry turmoil, including the sale of Polygon and changes at Giant Bomb. The conversation covers topics such as the evolution of online media business models, reflections on past struggles, and personal feelings about Giant Bomb's direction. The hosts and Jeff also delve into new game announcements, Xbox price hikes, and the implications of Apple's legal battles over app store payments.
This week, Niki and John are joined by game developer and former colleague (and current friend) Fūnk-é Joseph to discuss the Nintendo DS! That's it! That's all! Just two hours of Nintendo DS! Actually, you'd probably be totally cool with that, but we did move onto other topics, including: the Nintendo Switch 2 preorder mess Donkey Kong Bananza's clear connection to Red Faction how Mario Kart World is attracting the haters Marathon alpha Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 , the world's most French game ...
The VGBees crew and Jessica Cogswell discuss neighborhood drama, Magic the Gathering, game reveals like Marathon and Mario Kart World, and the polarizing game Blueprints. They also delve into listener questions about music, games that retain retail price, and beverage/snack combos. The episode ends with plugs and a review.
This week, John & Niki are joined by former Fanbyte colleague and current social media manager at System Era, Lotus ! We started by getting caught up on Starseeker , the next game from the makers of Astroneer , one of the many titles affected by the odd YouTube technical issues during the Nintendo Direct. Also: More tariff changes More Switch 2 preorder delays The GameCube controller has bizarre limitations The Piranha Plant camera for Switch 2 is 480p Those Titanfall 3 rumors A Slay the Spi...
Only two short days after the announced details of the Nintendo Switch 2 and about twelve hours after we recorded this week's main VGBees Podcast episode, Donald Trump's trade war with the rest of the world created the environment responsible for Nintendo announcing the delay of US pre-orders for their new console. I decided it was worth recording a public feed bonus with my friend and former colleague Imran Khan to discuss the event. We covered a lot of ground, including: A recap of Wednesday's...
In this supersized episode, John and Niki are joined by Game Informer Associate Producer Charles Harte to unpack the 60 minute Nintendo Direct for Switch 2 and all of the accompanying (and globally relevant) stories coming out of the event. Including: The console's price point Mario Kart World 's features & $80 price point What $80 Nintendo games mean for the industry Why Switch 2 costs what it costs Double mice with Drag x Drive The shocking reveal of Bloodborne spiritual successor The Dusk...
This week, John and Niki are joined by the wonderful Ben Pack to discuss this week's fascinating, funny, and sometimes confusing Nintendo Direct ! The strange (reported) rollout plan for Switch 2 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Eternal Life of Goldman Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Rhythm Heaven Groove Marvel Cosmic Invasion Nintendo Virtual Game Cards (?????) Also discussed: Cristiano Ronaldo joining Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Tencent & Ubisoft creating a new subsidiary to house certain IP Av...
Texas, my home, has been a battleground over the soul of the American Dream as it pertains to immigrants from around the globe. I want to use whatever platform I have to educate myself and my audience about things that matter to me. Right now, our laws are eroding around us and immigration attorneys like my guest in this bonus episode are part of a group fighting for the vulnerable every day. Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch (aka Abogada Kate ) is an immigration attorney in Austin, TX, serving families an...
This week, Niki joins (for about half an hour) from the Fandom Chamber of Audio Recording in San Francisco to help John find a Lexus LS 400 he can buy. They're joined by special guest Tim Rogers , who helped the crew rethink their camera and monitor setups. Whatever notes John had for the show...don't worry about it. Instead, Tim and John spent 2.5 hours discussing: Yasuke being cool as hell in Assassin's Creed Shadows The Easy-Bake Oven Witcher 3- ification of Assassin's Creed Sports gambling a...
This week, Niki and John are joined by Polygon's Patrick Gill, who goes deep on why Monster Hunter Wilds is so good, his most recent video guide on the game, and which weapons Niki and John should used based on their chosen professional wrestling style. Good stuff. Also: The fucking Strains are at it again Scopely buys Niantic's gaming wing for $3.5b Saudi fund inks 3-year deal with Capcom for Street Fighter 6 tournaments The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is getting a remake soon Power Wash Simulator ...
This week, Niki and John are joined by former Fanbyte colleague and current PC Gamer writer Andrea Shearon! We had to ask our resident Final Fantasy XIV expert about Yoshi-P leaving the Square-Enix Board of Directors and about the future of the company. Also: Sega is the best-reviewed publisher of 2024 Sega is releasing fewer games but doubling down on big franchises Monster Hunter Wilds has a massive launch Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 25 years of PlayStation 2 Avowed Lost Records: Rage & Bl...
This week, Niki and John are joined by bestie of the show Michael Higham to discuss cooking habits, the games we're playing, and the news of the week, including: the secret to great homemade ranch the Pokémon Presents Pokémon Legends: Z-A Pokémon Champions Warner Bros. closing Monolith and canceling Wonder Woman CEOs and their marketing strategies Bossa Games' CEO's weird LinkedIn post Avowed South of Midnight We also answer ONE of your Hive Questions this week. Yep. Ran out of time. We're going...
This week, John and Niki are joined by the one and only Merritt K, one of the brilliant minds behind Fledgling Manor . The show starts, of course, with the most important news of the week: how much the Nintendo Tip Line cost per minute. Also: NetEase laying off the Seattle Marvel Rivals team Microsoft's new Muse generative AI initiative Niantic in talks to be purchased by Scopely for $3.5b Hades II gets a big update (and into some interesting territory with SAG-AFTRA) Also, we talk about Avowed ...
This week, John asks Niki all about Split Fiction , the follow-up to award-winning It Takes Two . It is another one of those, for better or worse (mostly better). They also dive way, way, way into the big changes coming to Overwatch 2 . What are they? Do they matter? Where did this franchise lose its way? Also: Sony's State of Play Saros Tides of Annihilation Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Darwin's Paradox Onimusha Reality Break Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition Avowed Of course, your HIVE QUEST...
This week, John and Niki discuss what it would take to get them to attend the new ESA-fronted conference called iicon starting next April in Las Vegas. It's like GDC but worse, somehow. Also: Metal Gear Solid Delta gets a release date Grand Theft Auto 6 confirmed for fall 2025 timeline on new Nvidia cards coming back in stock Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. Marvel Rivals Eternal Strands Animal Crossing: New Horizons Of course, we answer yo...
The entire sports world was shocked when 5-time All-NBA 1st Teamer and 25 year old megastar Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for a Randy's donut and some unpaid parking tickets. Okay maybe it's not quite that bad, but it's really, really, really close. Your local basketball experts and fans of both teams in question, John and Niki, break down what you need to know about why the trade happened, what happens to both of these teams, and the long-term effects this trade may have arou...
This week, Niki and John dive into the news that BioWare is downsizing and outsourcing part of Mass Effect 5 's development. More than that, it strikes our hosts that maybe the series should go away if it means saving the jobs of the remaining employees tasked with such a burden. Anyway, it's a good discussion about a complicated problem. Also: the Video Game History Foundation's excellent new digital archives have launched Forza Horizon 5 is coming to PS5 with crossplay Microsoft's two-sided st...
This week, Niki and John take in the most recent Xbox Direct showcase and dive into each game discussed, including: Ninja Gaiden 4 South of Midnight Expedition 33 Doom: The Dark Ages They also discuss the cancelation of Celeste follow-up Earthblade and the blog post announcing it. In addition, the news that EA is disappointed in the sales of both Dragon Age: The Veilguard and EA Sports FC 25 is examined through a lens that understands the latter is much, much, much more interesting and noteworth...
This week, Niki and John discuss the biggest story in games. That's right, it's the MegaByte Nation Gaming Expo from Los Angeles, CA! What are Game Hogs up to? What does a UMD of old Family Guy episodes cost? Oh also we discuss the official announcement of Nintendo Switch 2, including: form factor changes Joy-Cons are also mice? guesses about the new Mario Kart speculation on release date and much more! We also answer your Hive Questions like we every single week! Which game would change the hea...
This week, Niki is laying low to escape the horrible fires facing Los Angeles. John runs solo, discussing the games news of the week, including: Nintendo Switch 2 rumors the delay of Assassin's Creed Shadows Tencent's designation as a military organization the new LEGO Game Boy We also answer your HIVE QUESTIONS and discuss John's fleet of emulation devices. Here are some links for donations/causes to help aid in the recovery of Los Angeles. Watch Duty - donations go toward running an incredibly...
This week, Niki and John both shake off their respective Holiday illnesses to come together for the first episode of 2025! They reflect on what they might have missed in 2024, including: Mouthwashing 1000xResist Metaphor: ReFantazio The Rise of the Golden Idol Also, what would the first episode of the new year be without predictions for games to play in 2025: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach FBC: Firebreak Pokemon Legends: Z-A Skate Judas We also answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS like we do each...
It is that time of year! VGBees has awarded its official (well John and Niki's) Games of the Year 2024! We had two overlaps, so we cover eight total games and wow we had a blast revisiting the year's very best games. Not to spoil the surprise (stop reading if you don't want to know), but in alphabetical order we discuss: Astro Bot Balatro Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Content Warning Crow Country Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Path of Exile 2 Thank Goodness You're Here! No HIVE QUESTIONS in this...
Niki and John go through a whirlwind of big games news this week, including the revelation that Woody Johnson is steering New York Jets personnel decisions with advice from his sons, Brick and Jack, derived from Madden 25 player stats. Also: the Charlotte Hornets Grinch a PS5 away from a child Sony invests big in Kadokawa (FromSoftware's parent company) the Switch 2 is called Switch 2 (probably) As far as what we've been playing, well: Path of Exile 2 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Marvel Ri...
This week, Niki worked an entire human day within the span of two human days to work Gamespot/Giant Bomb's TGA coverage and lived (thrived!) to tell about it. John asks burning questions like "what was the deal with those long sandwiches Dan Ryckert was giving to people?" Then, they get into the meat of The Game Awards 2024, including: The Witcher 4 Elden Ring Nightreign Virtua Fighter Onimusha: Way of the Sword Okami Sequel Project: Robot Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Astro Bot winning Gam...
HARK! An early holiday gift from VGBees is upon us! We have reunited Nerium, Natalie Flores, and Michael Higham to unpack Dragon Age: The Veilguard in the style of acclaimed former Fanbyte podcast 99 Potions. Did we like it? Who are our favorite companions? Did Solas live up to the villain hype? If you like this bonus, know that in the future, we'll be putting big fancy bonus episodes like this behind The Hive , VGBees' premium subscription. Your support allows us to do many more of these! We'd ...
This week, Niki calls in from the cartoon construction zone that is their house this week. That didn't stop Niki and John from talking about this week's video game news, including: Ubisoft studio closures XDefiant 's shutdown Elden Ring follow-up not in development the forbidden conversations we're hearing during Call of Duty matches We also talk about the stuff we're playing AND we answer so so so so many of your amazing Hive Questions , which had us planning a trip to Disney World in Orlando, ...
It's a Thanksgiving Week miracle! Niki and John recorded a podcast early in the week so they could take the rest of the week off! Wow! What foresight! Sure, there's some video game talk, but Niki also introduces the podcast to Car From Japan , the most important website of all time. Need a short truck? Need an old Lexus LS 400? This site has you covered. Also, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS , including: What has to be in your Thanksgiving spread? Which games get you in the holiday spirit?...
This week, Niki presents John with a long dissection of Days Gone , not even remotely a new video game. Still, it is welcome information which it is a game both of them missed when it came out five years ago. Did you know the main character's name is Deacon St. John? Now you do! Also: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 YIIK: A Postmodern RPG Star Wars Battlefront Battlefield Titanfall Apex Legends We also gave The Game Awards on this one! You're welcome, Geoff! As alw...
This week, Niki is back and with them comes the revelation that Xbox has gone and found itself an official breakfast partner. That's right IHOP is the official breakfast partner of Xbox and Niki and John are going to bring you all the crucial details right here on this very podcast. In less vital news: Nintendo's desired damages from Pocket Pair Everything is Xbox (according to Phil Spencer) Balatro Star Wars Outlaws Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Dragon Age: The Veilguard Pokémon Trading Card Game P...
