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by VGBees
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. We all have to work together to build a brighter future for games, so Join The Honey Hive today!
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John and Lotus are joined this week by Jeff Gerstmann to discuss the week's biggest games news, including: The Witcher 3's surprising expansion coming in 2027, Steam Deck's massive price hikes, and what we thought of 007 First Light.00:00:00 Intro & podcasting at yourself00:08:56 The Witcher 3 is getting new DLC in 202700:13:10 A moment for Unreal Engine 600:15:57 Ikaruga creator's next game has been canceledGo to nogamesforgenocide.com to learn more about the BDS movement and Microsoft's continued role in the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.00:19:14 Microsoft must pay $250m to settle class action lawsuit00:23:30 Modern Warfare 4 and the great Call of Duty fall-off00:29:18 Fable delayed from fall 2026 to February 202700:38:30 Hoyoverse is investing $14.6b in AI initiatives in the next three years00:42:20 Roblox and how to navigate its ubiquity as a parent00:49:15 Steam Deck price hikes and the rare appreciation of gaming setups00:57:13 Steam updates tags and Workshop features01:14:44 TheGamer shifts to pay-per-click for its writers01:24:32 The PlayStation 5 Pro is tall01:27:01 007 First Light is a great Bond game even for people who aren't Bond superfans01:38:32 Carrot Kingdom--not the Atari shareware--is a fun and very short puzzler01:39:58 Panthalassa features a gorgeous underwater alien world01:41:57 Phonopolis is the latest from Amanita Design01:45:06 Mina the Hollower is Yacht Club's most interesting game01:52:12 Pictonico is WarioWare for your phone...without the Wario01:59:36 We answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord03:01:23 SGF 2026 plans & outroThanks for listening!Please leave us a review! We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.VGBees is ad-free, AI-free, and completely supported by you! https://vgbees.com/joinVGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.
John, Lotus, and Niki discuss the biggest news of the week, including Embracer's head-scratching restructure, Destiny 2's final update, and PlayStation Plus price hikes.00:00:00 Intro & Niki Buys a Porsche00:09:50 Terraria celebrates 15 years of absolutely bonkers player counts00:25:15 Tom Kane passes away at 6400:26:41 PlayStation Plus gets price hikes00:35:47 US National Recording Registry adds DOOM soundtrack to its library00:44:28 Stig Asmussen Dungeons & Dragons game canceled by Wizards of the Coast00:55:20 Embracer restructures their game organizations again01:04:20 Quantic Dream's MOBA is shutting down01:06:14 Bungie ending Destiny 2 development and facing layoffs01:27:30 Everyone roasts John for buying a PS5 Pro01:39:00 Niki continues to build a NAS for their home01:51:28 The crew answers your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from Discord03:04:15 Outro & SGF PlansThanks for listening!Please leave us a review! We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.VGBees is ad-free, AI-free, and completely supported by you! https://vgbees.com/joinVGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.
Content Warning for graphic medical procedures, assault, sexual assault, suicide, and death in this episode. The Pitt is a show with a lot of tough ingredients thrown into a stew--we try to navigate these with tact and care but be forewarned the entire episode has a lot of potentially triggering discussion.GameDeveloper.com Editor-in-Chief (and Polygon, Waypoint, and Fanbyte alum) Danielle Riendeau joins John Warren for a recap of season two of The Pitt, one of VGBees' favorite television shows.Danielle lends her experience as a volunteer EMT in New York City to the duo's analysis and critique of the HBO Max medical drama. Included topics:The role of AI in healthcareThe role of compassion in emergency medicineUsing the show to demystify difficult subjects regarding sexual assault and deathICE and their miserable role in American healthcare in 2026and much, much more!Thanks for listening!Please leave us a review! We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.VGBees is ad-free, AI-free, and completely supported by you! https://vgbees.com/joinVGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.
Lotus and John discuss the biggest games news of the week, including Subnautica 2 creating a big bonus problem for KRAFTON's CEO, leaked Xbox controllers, and Marathon's interesting PVE-focused roadmap.00:00:00 Intro & Buc-ees Fare00:10:05 Subnautica 2's massive sales creates an interesting problem for KRAFTON's CEO00:13:15 Steam Controllers look bad, feel good, and scream when you drop them00:21:43 Sony takes huge loss on Bungie acquisition; Marathon gets new PVE-heavy roadmap00:30:20 Wizards and Hasbro fail to recognize the new MTG: Arena union00:33:25 Double Fine is also unionzing00:35:35 New Xbox controllers were leaked00:38:45 Microsoft fires executive for ties with Israel Ministry of Defense00:41:35 Sony says studios are using AI, but we have questions00:49:10 Tekken producer Harada leads new SNK studio00:53:05 Niki joins the show on locations to run down news so far00:54:45 Sega backs off of live services games00:58:38 GameStop's offer to buy eBay thoroughly, hilariously, decisively rebuffed01:04:12 Nintendo's fiscal report reveals reasons for Switch 2 price hike01:07:40 House Hunters is the best hotel television show01:09:10 The story in Digimon Story: Time Stranger is pretty bad01:18:10 The crew answers your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord02:21:50 Reviews & OutroThanks fo
Niki, Lotus, and John embark on a "no bummers" episode of the show, complete with discussions about the new Star Fox game, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight's endless charm, and Mina the Hollower's long-awaited release date.00:00:00 Intro & John's parking lot predicament00:12:15 Star Fox 64 Remake00:17:15 Mina the Hollower gets a release date at long last00:19:16 Copilot removed from Xbox plans (please go to nogamesforgenocide.com to learn about the ongoing boycott of Microsoft and Xbox products)00:23:53 LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight looks great00:28:27 More "no bummers" news round-up00:31:42 Niki's new Logitech MX Master 4 mouse00:43:37 Niki continues loving Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream00:46:07 Echo Chaser is a slick PICO-8 free game00:47:28 Family is a great music-centric game you can play for free right now00:50:20 mini pharma is a charming PICO-8 puzzler00:57:59 We answer your burning Hive Questions straight from our Discord02:07:58 OutroThanks for listening!Please leave us a review! We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.VGBees is ad-free, AI-free, and completely supported by you! https://vgbees.com/joinVGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.
NOTE: This bonus episode contains discussions of medical trauma, sexual assault, addiction, child abuse, mass shootings, and generally some sad stories about real life emergencies. It’s hard to avoid those topics when discussing this television show, so if you need to duck out and catch the next regular bonus, we totally get it.Additional note! This is a bonus episode of the show from 2025--we're freeing it from the confines of the bonus feed to prepare you for The Pittcast Season 2, which will be available for the public and not just in the bonus feed.The Pitt is one of this year’s best TV shows and such a delightful surprise for folks who might have been missing a truly great medical drama in their lives. John treated himself to over an hour chatting about the show with full-time games media legend (Polygon, Waypoint, Fanbyte, and current EIC at Game Developer) and part-time volunteer EMS Danielle Riendeau.They cover a lot of ground in a relatively short time, including:Michael Crighton’s estate and the battle for the ER revivalNoah Wylie aging like fine wineThis wonderful cast (even the nepo babies are great)Advanced medical procedures and practical effectsHow Covid changed things for many medical professionalsManaging PTSD & addiction in the medical fieldIf you liked this bonus episode, consider telling a friend to JOIN THE HIVE. You get bonuses like these and access to special areas of our Discord.
Niki, Lotus, and John celebrate 100 episodes and discuss GameStop's potential purchase of eBay, usTwo's CEO saying some wild stuff into a microphone, the final death of Paste Games, and more!00:00:00 Intros & At Least It's Friday00:06:05 GameStop could be prepping for an eBay takeover00:13:50 Saudi Arabia is divesting from some entertainment properties00:20:36 Atari acquires emulation studio Implicit Conversions00:24:39 MTG: Arena devs unionize00:28:48 usTwo CEO speaks way too candidly about labor relations within company00:39:45 GreedFall dev Spiders being liquidated; mismanagement alleged00:44:22 GameMaker integrates with Claude Code00:48:00 The program is interrupted by Niki's neighborhood "Snacks Man"00:51:55 Mac Minis are super expensive now because of AI00:58:58 Last Flag not continuing content updates or console development01:05:15 Thick as Thieves gets shorter, cheaper01:08:08 AV Club Games is no more, which spells the end of Paste Games01:14:50 Flotsam is a cell-shaded city builder on sea that Lotus really likes01:22:22 Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is playing with dolls01:36:00 CorgiSpace is a collection from one of the medium's most prolific creators01:42:44 Titanium Court avoids Balatro time suck because of reading01:44:00 Niki continues to build a NAS01:54:55 We answer your Hive Questions for Episode 10003:06:40 OutroThanks for listening!Please leave us a review! We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.VGBees is ad-free, AI-free, and completely supported by you! https://vgbees.com/joinVGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.
Lotus & John discuss the lawsuit against Mr. Beast, Xbox Game Pass carving out Call of Duty, Playdate's interesting AI policy, and much more!VGBees is 100% listener-supported. Join The Hive for bonus content, exclusive Discord access, and input on future content. https://vgbees.com/join00:00:00 Intro00:05:46 Mr. Beast sued by former employee00:13:11 Ludum Dare to "end" in 202800:18:10 Playdate to block generative AI asset games; allow generative AI coded games00:26:55 BAFTA Game Awards pulls trailer of "triggering" game00:35:48 Sanrio & Toei both form game subsidiaries00:39:39 Xbox carves out Call of Duty from Game Pass00:50:17 Nintendo sued over tariff refund hoarding00:54:49 Titanium Court is a feast for players looking for more substance in their roguelikes01:02:20 Lotus went to a bunch of live sports events01:14:05 Lotus went to Little Craft Fest 202601:25:00 Lotus & John answer your Hive Questions straight from the Discord02:04:05 OutroThanks for listening! Please leave us a review!We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.VGBees is ad-free, AI-free, and completely supported by you! https://vgbees.com/join<
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. We all have to work together to build a brighter future for games, so Join The Honey Hive today!
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