The VGBees Podcast

This week, Niki, Lotus, and John discuss the wild and wooly games news stories flying around, including PIF potentially buying Unity after the EA deal closed in August, Arkane's potential buyers includes Ubisoft, and Arkane's labor union accuses Microsoft of studio sabotage.

00:00:00 Intro & the mid Michelin Star dinner

00:29:03 Arkane's potential buyers includes Ubisoft

00:33:30 Arkane's French labor union accuses Microsoft of studio sabotage over Marvel's Blade

00:36:30 Silver Lake & PIF are looking to buy Unity, which is currently valued at $25b (and a pretty long detour into WWE's Crown Jewel event)

00:45:40 Valnet and The Gamer reach a settlement over labor dispute

00:48:55 John barely played anything on his AYN Thor during his trip

00:51:26 Niki's GTAVI minute

00:55:25 Star Wars Galactic Racer is still great, but Niki needs an hour warm-up to be any good at it

00:57:10 Nintendo Switch Sports Resort continues the rich tradition of Wii Sports, mostly for better

01:12:48 What's a game you wish were hours longer than it is?

01:14:10 Could there reasonably be consensus among VGBees hosts on which game sits atop a hypothetical top 100 list?

01:17:10 You can take one kind of Halloween treat from a bucket--what is it? (there is a fight over ramen on this one)

01:20:25 How are we enjoying the NBA season?

01:31:10 Who's in the studio right now recording a Blexas parody song?

01:32:10 What's your favorite source of dietary fiber?

01:33:20 How was your last grocery store run?

01:34:30 Which cracker is more useful: Ritz or graham?

01:35:30 What could possibly be each host's favorite video game?

01:39:15 Is anyone playing the Ocarina of Time remake who isn't doing it for nostalgia?

01:45:25 What makes a good rainy day game?

01:50:10 Outside of birthdays and holidays, how do you celebrate something good in your life?

01:51:30 What's the best thing you ate this week?

01:55:30 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, 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 of Ghost of Yotei

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

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

00:58:25 Celeste and Towerfall leaving 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 VI reported 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 Why Big Walk isn't on Xbox

01:00:22 Nidhogg, yes Nidhogg, 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 2K25 to 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 Badges is 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's wild swing and miss for concurrent players

00:41:09 Mike Tomlin's Minecraft city 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 3 still 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 with Desinty after 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 Roblox is 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 Time is changing for modern audiences

00:34:54 Samus is hungry in Metroid Ravenous

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

00:43:50 Powerwash Simulator dev 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 VI preview 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 Company devs 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.