The VGBees Podcast

This week, John, Niki, and Lotus cover a busy week of games news, including Microsoft offering voluntary layoffs to 60,000, GameMaker going free for commercial use in 2027, and Anthropic's solemn vow not to allow Claude to simply plagiarize a video game idea.

00:00:00 Intros & voting time

00:10:55 Another few thoughts on BioWare's closure

00:18:25 Eric Bauza passes away at the age of 46

00:20:16 GameMaker going free for commercial use

00:25:32 WB Games begins shadow layoff procedures

00:36:10 Microsoft offering voluntary layoffs to 60,000

00:40:52 Sucker Punch lays off 24 after success ofGhost of Yotei

00:49:56 Dark Messiah of Might & Magicgetting robust new fan-made edition

00:53:30 Discord now has Discoverable Servers; is bad

00:58:25 CelesteandTowerfallleaving Xbox over BDS concerns

00:59:43 Anthropic's odd, potentially meaningless guardrail for games plagiarists

01:04:30 Is John taking a portable games console on his trip?

01:07:22 When is the VGBees Cheesecake Factory episode coming?

01:09:00 What's the most interesting burger you've ever had?

01:10:49 Vegan dishes posing as non-vegan dishes

01:15:55 What's the worst burger you've ever had?

01:20:22 If all food cost the same, what would you eat more of?

01:21:22 Which has the better vertical slice: cake or lasagna?

01:23:37 What would your Star Wars Galactic Racer identity be?

01:28:00 Which food is worst for eventually leftovers?

01:29:32 What's the biggest audiences you've ever presented to?

01:32:37 What's the best game to play with a partner, both short and long-term?

01:37:56 Excluding AI, name a company that's cooked but doesn't know it yet?

01:39:18 What warning are you slapping on this episode of VGBees?

01:40:25 When is VGBees' Top 100 Games list coming?

01:41:34 Are there any good games based on horror films?

01:48:54 What's the next franchise to torpedo its goodwill with Roblox?

01:51:17 What's the most "of X country's culture" a game has ever been?

01:52:31 VGBees Scary Media & Things Corner

02:00:08 What illegal items have you smuggled onto a plane?

02:01:48 Okay, what is John playing on his AYN Thor?

02:07:25 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Lotus and John (complete with the worst sinus infection you've ever heard, sorry) dove right into the biggest news stories of the week, including the closure of BioWare, 350 additional layoffs across EA, and Steam Next Fest demos being removed out of fear of AI cloning (which we have questions about)

00:00:00 Intro & yes, he knows he sounds like Andre the Giant

00:04:32 Steam Next Fest demos removed citing fear of AI cloning

00:14:05 BioWare shut down among many other layoffs at EA

00:24:05 Lost & Found Co. gets new fun updates

00:26:58 Mon Laferte knows how to engage with the drama of stage performance

00:30:50 RADIOSOL creates an unforgettable sense of scale

00:37:20 Lotus went to Spooky Little Craft Fest!

00:46:09 Have you ever been successfully scammed?

00:48:48 Any advice for personal essay writing?

00:51:40 What's the ideal number of pillows on a bed?

00:52:40 Is a remix just music fanfiction?

00:54:18 What's the best thing about Halloween?

00:55:22 How do you pronounce "Whataburger?"

00:59:06 Review & Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, John, Niki, and (for about an hour, at least) Lotus ponder what makes a good games outlet name. Also, perhaps more importantly, Epic's full-throttle commitment to AI game production, Grand Theft Auto VI's potential PC release in Q1 2027, and more Ubisoft studio closures.

00:00:00 Intro & The Pepsi Challenge

00:11:00 Chris Kerr's Vertical Slice launches (and a very, very silly detour about race)

00:25:30 Epic goes all-in on AI; delays Marvel/Star Wars game

00:34:46 Grand Theft Auto VIreported to get Q1 2027 PC release

00:46:43 ESA requests Anbernic to be listed as "superfake;" for some reason tells everyone about FitGirl

00:50:56 More Ubisoft layoffs and studio closures

00:58:22 WhyBig Walkisn't on Xbox

01:00:22 Nidhogg, yesNidhogg, got a big new update this week

01:02:44 How do you deal with feeling deeply responsible for your direct reports at work?

01:09:20 How Fortnite has finally become the parody of itself casual observers have long said it to be

01:36:14 Star Wars Galactic Racer is the perfect size in the perfect form

02:10:50 Why do discussions of systemic issues sometimes get in the way of laying clear individual blame on bad actors?

02:12:42 Why do basketball players seem to be happier than football players?

02:25:45 What would cause this podcast to balloon to four hours?

02:27:28 How would you deal with a sudden shift to the metric system?

02:29:10 Is Biddy Blas a breakout star or an overplayed meme?

02:31:43 How do we feel about little tomatoes?

02:33:35 New review & outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Lotus, Niki, and John dove very deep into the surprisingly busy week of games news, including Kotaku's fascinating report about Double Fine's union misfire, Bobby Kotick joining the Skydance Board, and Star Wars Zero Company dev returning more than have their previously furloughed workers.

00:00:00 Intro & vaccine misinformation

00:12:30 Skydance's new games division

00:20:25 Skydance's new Board includes Bobby Kotick

00:26:59 Kotaku's explosive report about Double Fine's failed unionization attempt

00:58:05 NBA 2K25to be delisted and servers shut down

01:18:38 Gamestop inflating price of pre-owned PlayStation 5 Pros

01:28:50 Wizards of the Coast union is expanding

01:30:07 Bit Reactor returns more than half of furloughed workers to company

01:33:15 Xbox creates new transmedia division XP

01:40:30 Lego Party is the best one of these around

01:43:40 Skate is even weirder than it was when it launched

01:51:50 Halloween costume plans or ideas this year?

01:53:55 Parking is $2 but validated parking is free...are you getting validated?

01:58:20 What would you change about your kitchen?

02:04:35 Gods With Badgesis Strange Scaffold's latest...and it's got an interesting backstory

02:23:45 New AI-powered game demo is running $1000/day token bill

02:30:30 Capcom's new AI initiative deserves some clarification

02:51:37 Onimusha: Way of the Sword isn't that hard...yet

02:56:11 The Witcher 3 Remaster reminds us that being down bad for a beautiful woman is a great plot device

03:00:18 Doggy Don't Care puts you in the paws of a destructive pug

03:02:40 Highlights from Falling Block Jam 2026

03:06:37 Which Final Fantasy wardrobe are you copping?

03:12:10 Which fighting game archetype do you gravitate toward?

03:17:07 Crunchy Cheetos or Cheetos Puffs?

03:19:52 New five star review and Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

On this week's episode, the crew handle a slow news week by going very, very deep on Mike Tomlin's Minecraft city, 2XKO's missed concurrent player target, and impressions of cozy-yet-hardcore Dressmaker.

00:00:00 Intro, John's bad day, pallbearers for hire

00:26:45 2XKO'swild swing and miss for concurrent players

00:41:09 Mike Tomlin'sMinecraftcity inspired some big, big opinions from the crew

01:25:50 Control Resonant's open world features frustrating barriers

01:29:47 Dressmaker might be "cozy," but it's for the sickos

01:37:50 Niki made a photo zine!

01:43:57 HIVE QUESTIONS BEGIN; which person of the VGBees Zord is the bee's knees?

01:47:18 What were you proud of this week?

01:49:00 Which day is worse for being online: April 1 or May 4?

01:52:34 How long do you have to play a game to say you have played it?

01:55:52 How clean are your floors?

02:00:42 Which bread makes the best toast?

02:08:00 What was the last thing you did that you would consider to be whimsical?

02:10:32 Would you eat a hot dog with nothing else on it?; How big is too big for a Metroidvania?

02:12:00 What's your favorite PAC match?

02:15:20 What's the most centrist RPG?

02:17:40 What switches games journalism to games eschatology?

02:23:57 Is taking a pill that was on the floor safe?

02:26:30 Asha Sharma gives you her personal cell number, what are you doing with it?

02:29:00 Why does VGBees not concern itself with playing every new major release?

02:34:11 Is there a button in your house that is satisfying to push?

02:36:25 Mario and Sonic split; how are they splitting the Olympics games?

02:38:38 What's the dumbest media you've enjoyed lately?

02:39:45 How can someone be redeemed and reenter a community after true harm is done?; HIVE QUESTIONS END

02:51:20 Show Reviews & Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Lotus, John, and Niki tackle a very busy week of games news, including a new round of Xbox layoffs, Xbox studio consolidation, Activision making the next Halo game, and Bungie's unvaulting of Destiny 2 content.

00:00:00 Intro & Niki's big trip

00:14:30 Xbox's latest layoffs and consolidations

00:50:42 Undead Labs goes independent;State of Decay 3still aiming for 2027 release

00:56:55 World's Edge loses half staff and one upcoming project

00:58:34 King union wins their collective bargaining agreement; will avoid strike

01:01:11 A sudden discussion about cigarettes and food waste

01:09:25 The People Make Games Bobby Kotick story

01:17:30 Tim Schafer opens up a bit about Microsoft turmoil

01:21:35 Bungie isn't done withDesintyafter all

01:41:40 Lotus finished Roman Sands RE:Build

01:47:47 How Niki made their Annie's Mac n Cheese

01:50:32 Niki played Control Resonant and loves that it is divisive

02:05:45 The Travis Scott track on the GTA6 soundtrack is pretty good

02:07:00 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:46:30 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Niki, John, and Lotus discussed the biggest news stories of the week, including a look at Zach Cregger's Resident Evil, numerous head-scratching announcements from BlizzCon, and the news that Roblox is working toward a future providing standalone games to multiple platforms.

00:00:00 Intro & sorting through John's will

00:11:30 BlizzCon 2026: games that might not come out and what will we do with three World of Warcraft SKUs?

00:25:30 King's unionized workers are about to strike,which prompted a very deep conversation about the nature of monetized free to play mobile games

01:00:00 Robloxis going to release standalone games among other worrisome updates

01:04:40 Hyper Light Drifter's Heart Machine is facing closure after publishing pull

01:08:55 Game Developer dot com facing staff shakeup; IGN lays off many long-tenured staff

01:12:25 Resident Evil solidifies Zach Cregger as one of horror's best active directors

01:26:42 Niki bought a PlayStation Portal

01:37:40 Lotus' time so far with Roman Sands RE:Build

01:50:35 Carly Rae Jepsen's new double album is out; John watches the Barenaked Ladies rendition of "O Canada"

02:00:00 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:42:42 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, John, Niki, and Lotus dove into both Nintendo Directs, the stunning news that Sony is dropping Hideo Kojima's next projects, and Blizzard's new union formation just ahead of Blizzcon.

00:00:00 Intro & our new tagline

00:10:03 Ocarina of Timeis changing for modern audiences

00:34:54 Samus is hungry inMetroid Ravenous

00:37:00 Kirby and the World Beyond is perhaps the biggest adventure yet in the franchise

00:43:50 Powerwash Simulatordev lays off staff in extremely strange way

00:49:09 Big game-spoiling achievements were leaked from Steam

00:53:55 Blizzard employees form union protecting 1,900 staff

00:59:35 Sony drops Kojima projects, Xbox takes over, big conversation about game direction ensues

01:31:10 Nintendo's tariff sale

01:36:08 Grand Theft Auto VIpreview apparently drives 100,000 Netflix sign-ups

01:43:43 Tony is a slice of a biopic that manages to tell a lot of Anthony Bourdain's story

01:48:20 The gang is split on the success of Coyote vs Acme

02:07:45 Niki is very much enjoying the reboot of The Grand Tour

02:18:55 iPhone Duo is weird but might just work

02:27:20 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:42:59 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Lotus, Niki, and John discuss the Star Wars Zero Company furloughs, the new limits on Xbox Cloud for Game Pass, and the explosive Pablo Torre stories have the hosts asking, "why don't we have this kind of investigative journalism in games?"

00:00:00 Intro & John's extremely beautiful voice

00:07:18 Star Wars Zero Companydevs furloughed ahead of game's release

00:15:30 SteamDB is now under Nexus Mods' parent ownership

00:21:10 Xbox introducing harsh limits on cloud gaming on Game Pass

00:31:20 PlayStation says users know they don't own digital games and how common gamers are unequipped to fight this

00:47:50 Pablo Torre exposed the Los Angeles Clippers and now we're wondering where all the investigative gaming journalism is

01:16:20 Niki wants to know why they can't lock into games they want to be excited about

01:22:30 HIVE QUESTIONS

01:36:45 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Niki, John, and Lotus did their homework on the bizarrely-edited Grand Theft Auto VI reveal on Netflix and also dove into Gamescom announcements, like The Witcher 3 Remastered.

00:00:00 Intro & A Condensed History of How We Know Each Other

00:14:30 Grand Theft Auto VIis every verb

00:44:09 Star Citizen's Squadron 42delayed again

00:48:25 The Witcher 3 Songs of the Pastunearths an ancient evil for Geralt to fight

00:49:48 The Witcher 3 Remasteredis a free update with tons of improvements

00:51:42 Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is not pumping the brakes

00:56:25 Blood Dungeon is a survivors-like with platforming finesse

00:59:42 Lotus got rid of her car (finally)

01:16:40 John might have to get litigious over a wheelchair peripheral

01:22:00 Jeff Grubb sent Niki a package

01:23:50 HIVE QUESTIONS

01:51:48 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Lotus, Niki, and John tackled a jam-packed week of surprising news, including Riot ending 2XKO's development, Twitch's surprise auto-opt-in for GenAI training, and the ongoing and expansive Grand Theft Auto VI leaks.

00:00:00 Intro & fun drug side effects

00:08:00 Twitch's GenAI training program

00:15:15 Robloxbeing investigated by US Senate for over 65,000 reported incidents of child abuse

00:30:35 NewHorizonlive service game being rebooted by Sony

00:37:42 Compulsion games now fully independent from Xbox

00:41:02 2XKOending development in December

00:55:47 Grand Theft Auto VIbuild appears to be in the hands of a leaker...could it be an inside job??? (it is reportedly not but we recorded this a day early lol)

01:15:28 Saber CEO apologizes to writer/narrative designer Stella Sacco

01:17:56 Agent 64 Spies Never Die is a competent nod to games that have not aged well

01:20:32 Esoteric Ebb might be a little too esoteric, frankly

01:24:10 We haven't played The Duskbloods, but we talked about it anyway

01:25:45 Entropy is a new RPG from the folks who made Dread Delusion and it is quite good so far

01:32:45 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:07:15 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, John and Niki are joined by Jesse Vitelli, fresh off a five day subathon on his Twitch channel after being laid off at Restart.Run. Together, they take a hard look at Matt Karch's history of odd behavior, Netflix's most recent studio closures, and Star Wars Zero Company.

00:00:00 Intro & Raising Cane's talk

00:11:25 Saber Interactive CEO Matt Karch did something very weird and has done many weird things previously to this new weird thing

00:34:14 Netflix closes Night School, Moonloot, and lays off others

00:41:35 Restart.Run's remaining leadership releases a bizarre statement

00:48:23 Pokémon Pokopiasold five million copies

00:54:00 Take-Two looks to be getting deeper into simulation sports

00:56:00 Wolverine & Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave previews dropped

01:11:20 South of Midnightnow listed as self-published, but is that the whole story?

01:12:55 Esoteric Ebb serves the best of Disco Elysium without some of the baggage

01:20:30 Knytt Classic is a faithful update of a 2006 freeware standout

01:23:27 Niki's in the Splatoon Raiders endgame now

01:26:55 Star Wars Zero Company is a lot more than a new XCOM

01:47:00 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:20:55 Outro

Thanks for listening!

Please leave us a review! We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.

This week, Lotus, Niki, and John discuss their very enjoyable time together with Big Walk, Devolver Digital's move off of the London Stock Exchange, and Netflix's incredibly bizarre six hour rental of Grand Theft Auto VI's deeper dive trailer later this month.

00:00:00 Intro & laundry hamper talk

00:14:30 Netflix'sGrand Theft Auto VI"exclusive" look

00:47:26 EA's big deal with the Saudis and Jared Kushner closed

01:12:30 Halo Studios parts ways with contractors

01:20:32 Devolver Digital moves to unlist from London Stock Exchange to go private

01:33:30 Square Enix is collaborating with Google Gemini for AI-based QA

01:40:43 PlayStation by far the most played console in the US

01:41:53 Restart Run staff laid off

01:44:43 Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the best the MCU has been in a very long time

01:51:40 Splatoon Raiders continues to delight us

01:57:37 AYN Thor is probably the best one of these emulation handhelds

02:02:10 The VGBees Crew is having a blast with Big Walk

02:37:25 HIVE QUESTIONS

03:10:57 Reviews & outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Lotus, Niki, and John discuss Xbox's 7% revenue decrease year over year, Tencent's alleged "Grand Theft Auto killer" Last Sentinel facing major problems, and impressions of one of 2026's most pleasant surprises, Splatoon Raiders.

00:00:00 Intro & drug testing

00:08:35 Double Fine lays off 23 after going independent

00:13:07 Xbox reports $1.7b loss due to critical business failures

00:17:07 Tencent'sLast Sentinelquietly lays off staff, possibly canceled

00:32:50 Super Mario Sunshinecoming to Nintendo Switch Online

00:38:55 Splatoon Raiders is what Splatoon probably should've always been

00:54:25 Endacopia is a surrealist point-and-click jaunt

00:58:18 Midnight Moments is a pleasant, but perhaps shallow, cyberpunk diorama-builder

01:01:52 Niki's Apple TV came!

01:08:53 VGBees Baseball Talk

01:20:35 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:40:35 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, John, Lotus, and Niki discuss the Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls open beta, Unity 7's announcement and features, EA's approved sale to the PIF, and Deltarune Chapter 5.

00:00:00 Intro & some strong Splatoon opinions

00:21:35 Hasbro cancels projects slated for 2028 and beyond

00:26:58 EU approves EA sale to the PIF

00:33:30 Unity 7 announced with some interesting new features in tow

00:42:35 Poinpy is free now and is still great

00:45:08 Hey, Left 4 Dead 2 is still really great, too

00:52:20 Paragnosia is like Five Nights at Freddy's but in a house with demons

00:55:45 Deltarune is stretching its welcome with Niki

00:58:50 Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls balances simplified inputs with nuanced complexity undearneath

01:04:30 Niki tearfully admits they're excited about Wolverine

01:12:06 A detour to Love Island and Ariana Madix's whole deal

01:16:10 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:11:05 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Niki, Lotus, and John discuss the extremely convenient news dump regarding beloved games in the Fallout franchise, other Xbox teams facing decimation in the initial layoffs, and the God of War show's choice to recast its Kratos.

00:00:00 Intro, new dog, blood stuff, & kidneys

00:22:53 Latin America ID@Xbox teams decimated by layoffs

00:32:48 Inside look at Xbox layoffs from people experiencing it

00:33:48 Falloutdeluge of information to distract people from the layoffs

00:46:18 CWA files lawsuits alleging Xbox mishandling of layoffs

00:49:50 College Football 27removes microtransactions from single player mode

01:03:40 ZA/UM to lay off 32 after slow sales ofZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies

01:05:00 God of Warshow to recast Kratos after injury to Ryan Hurst

01:15:15 Update on Niki's NAS

01:30:40 Update on Niki & NBA 2K26

1:40:40 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:32:30 Outro & Interview Shows!

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

Last year, we chatted with Joe from hit YouTube channel Joe Is Hungry. Now that we have this fun new interview format show officially on the feed, I decided it was time to have him back on!

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:33 Joe's wife still plays games

00:02:50 Why do gaming communities seem to gravitate toward Joe?

00:08:10 Does Joe keep tabs on other food reviewers?

00:11:50 What does attention from other channels do for Joe?

00:13:18 How does Joe keep up with the algorithm and how does he engage with AI?

00:17:20 TikTok monetization

00:22:00 How does Joe deal with criticism online?

00:25:00 A quick Georgia geography lesson & lamenting Whataburger going corporate

00:28:35 Detour to talk about Cook Out & crowd control

00:32:25 Joe's car setup and new technology

00:35:10 Joe developing his stop motion animation skills

00:41:15 Adopting new elements to avoid stagnation

00:45:30 Joe's relationship with Shadow Joe

00:47:20 Joe's spicy food tolerance

00:50:10 Joe's relationship to aging and existing online

00:51:20 Back to the TikTok algorithm & pricing

00:54:18 Balancing creativity and growth metrics

00:57:15 The brief shelf life of food reviews

01:00:18 Is YouTube Joe's most physically taxing job yet?

01:00:25 How Joe's local celebrity has impacted the work

01:04:15 What is Joe eating when he's not eating fast food?

01:06:25 Joe rails against Amazon; an ode to Micro Center

01:13:10 Where does Joe see the channel in one year?

01:18:05 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Niki, Lotus, and John address the sweeping, disastrous layoffs and closures stemming from the "reset" Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has started.

00:00:00 Intro & Cup Talk

00:11:40 Xbox layoffs by the numbers

00:14:55 Id Software decimated by the moves

00:18:52 Obsidian loses staff and shifts focus to Fallout (a previous report that Avowed 2 has been canceled has been refuted by the developer since this recording)

00:25:32 Zenimax loses over 350 employees

00:29:11 350 others are left without jobs from divested and sold studios

00:32:47 IOI closes Istanbul studio after Xbox divestment

00:41:18 Hardship fund created for laid off developers

00:47:35 Bethesda union holding protests at different cities July 15

00:55:00 Niki proposes an analogy to the US Men's Soccer Team

01:02:08 Do average gamers know or care that this is all happening?

01:14:45 Niki has returned to NBA 2K26 and is having fun now

01:24:55 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:05:00 Outro & Interview Shows

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

Hey! It's a brand new show here on The VGBees Podcast feed. We'll be taking the time every once in a while to sit down and go deep with interesting figures around the games industry and beyond. Our very first guest is Phil Salvador, Library Director of the Video Game History Foundation.

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:05 What is the Video Game History Foundation?

00:03:45 What has surprised Phil the most about the work of games preservation since joining?

00:05:37 What in Phil's life created this fascination with historical preservation?

00:08:11 What's the last thing Phil pulled out of the archive that surprised or delighted him?

00:11:20 How does Phil feel about the end of physical game discs?

00:20:32 Do major games corporations show signs of meeting preservationists halfway?

00:23:04 Notes about the 2023 study Phil wrote about pre-2010 game availability

00:28:50 Is there a notable distinction between preservation and accessibility?

00:32:27 What is piracy's role in game preservation?

00:39:44 What kind of legal team does VGHF engage?

00:42:53 Phil digs into one of his favorite collections added since the 2025 launch of the digital archive

00:49:55 Does the VGHF and its digital archive care about growing its audience?

00:54:58 What is the path from collection acquisition to availability online in the digital archive?

00:59:45 What kind of backend does the digital archive use to organize the collection?

01:02:15 What's the most technically harrowing preservation project VGHF has taken on?

01:09:00 How does the archive decide what is worthy of inclusion?

01:13:15 How is the archive's magazine collection shaping up?

01:17:24 Where does Phil see the foundation and the archive in five years?

01:20:10 John looks up Shenmue in the digital archive

01:22:14 How can you help the Video Game History Foundation and its mission?

01:25:10 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.

This week, Lotus, Niki, and John dive deep into the end of physical discs for Sony (and likely Xbox), the impending closures of the PS3/Vita digital stores, and the potential for Arkane to be on the Xbox reset chopping block.

00:00:00 Intro & everything you need to know about donuts

00:18:50 Sony stopping disc support in 2028; the gang goes long on the loss of physical games media

01:06:30 Sony is also closing the PS3/Vita stores

01:15:05 IOI to lay off staff on Project Fantasy, which was backed by Xbox

01:21:07 Arkane may be part of the upcoming closures at Xbox

01:25:55 Memory manufacturers the target of a class action lawsuit alleging price fixing

01:29:55 Summer Games Done Quick 2026 Preview

01:31:35 Star Wars Galactic Racer is the VGBees Game of Show at Summer Game Fest 2026

01:40:20 Anode Heart: Layer Null strips away the mess from card battling RPGs

01:51:54 A very quick note about the AYN THOR

01:56:20 Niki is dipping back into Slay the Spire 2

01:58:07 Virtua Fighter 5 REVO World Stage adds a welcome single player mode to the game

02:02:30 HIVE QUESTIONS

02:50:12 Outro

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/join

VGBees is a weekly games media podcast hosted by Niki, John, and Lotus.