Better Offline Podcast Summary: "Saving Games Journalism With Giant Bomb"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Better Offline
• Host/Author: Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts
• Episode: Saving Games Journalism With Giant Bomb
• Release Date: May 21, 2025

Overview: In this episode of Better Offline, host Ed Zitron engages in an insightful conversation with the new owners of the renowned gaming site Giant Bomb—Jeff Bacalar, Jeff Grubb, and Dan Reichert. The discussion delves into the recent acquisition of Giant Bomb, the current landscape of games journalism, the challenges posed by corporate ownership, and the promising shift towards independent journalism models. The guests share their experiences, perspectives, and vision for the future of gaming media.

1. Introduction to Giant Bomb's New Ownership

Timestamp: [02:15]
Host (Ed Zitron):
"Today I'm joined by the new owners of gaming site Giant Bomb, Jeff Bacalar, Jeff Grubb, and Dan Reichert. Fellas, welcome to the show."

Conversation Highlights:

• Jeff Bacalar: Outlines the transition from Fandom to the new ownership model, emphasizing the acquisition of assets rather than the entire business structure.
• Dan Reichert: Discusses the rapid setup of the new business, including establishing a bank account and dividing responsibilities equally among the new owners.

Notable Quote:

Dan Reichert [04:17]: "It's going to be us kind of taking it on all ourselves, splitting it up evenly amongst us and just getting to work and investing our time and seeing a payoff because now it's all on us."

2. The Current State of Games Journalism

Timestamp: [05:25]
Host (Will Pearson):
"It's both one of the most depressing times in games journalism history and one of the most encouraging because the amount of layoffs are horrifying."

Conversation Highlights:

• The decline of traditional games journalism amidst corporate restructuring and layoffs.
• The historical context of corporate ownership in gaming media, dating back to 2008 with multiple ownership changes.
• Emphasis on building a sustainable and independent model to preserve quality journalism.

Notable Quote:

Dan Reichert [05:47]: "What this, with the, with the aftermath experiment and all these other sort of independent journalistic entities have sort of shown is that this can work with a private sort of consideration of ownership as opposed to, you know, just having it be another asset in the corporate media portfolio."

3. The Impact of Corporate Ownership and Private Equity

Timestamp: [07:11]
Host (Dan Reichert):
"These large entities buy them because I imagine they're traffic drivers and there's always news and there's always kind of search traffic coming in from games and guides."

Conversation Highlights:

• Examination of how private equity firms target gaming media outlets like Polygon and Vox Media for their high traffic and SEO potential.
• Discussion on the detrimental effects of such acquisitions on the quality of journalism and employee morale.

Notable Quote:

Ed Zitron [07:11]: "These kind of equity firms, they spot this and they want to extract that value. It means bad things for the actual people working at these sites almost universally every time."

4. The Shift Towards Independent Journalism

Timestamp: [14:12]
Host (Jeff Bacalar):
"We want to try to make as much money for ourselves as possible. But clearly the right choice is let's work with everyone, get everyone sort of moving in the same direction, get people feeling good about this space again."

Conversation Highlights:

• The importance of collaboration among independent creators to foster a supportive community.
• The contrast between corporate-driven media and creator-owned platforms in maintaining editorial integrity and personality.
• Optimism about the rise of smaller, independent outlets that prioritize genuine content over corporate profit motives.

Notable Quote:

Dan Reichert [29:03]: "If we don't do that well, then we're not holding up our part of the bargain."

5. Importance of Personality and Genuine Content

Timestamp: [24:37]
Host (Will Pearson):
"It's so fucking stupid because I feel like these outlets could on some level, maybe not a ton print money like they. There are tons of gamers who love reading stuff."

Conversation Highlights:

• The critical role of personality in games journalism, which differentiates independent creators from corporate outlets.
• The challenges of monetizing content while maintaining authenticity and personal engagement with the audience.
• The detrimental impact of stripped-down, personality-less content driven by corporate agendas and SEO.

Notable Quote:

Dan Reichert [33:02]: "That is a thing that has to be genuine. That is a thing you can't replace."

6. Future Plans for Giant Bomb

Timestamp: [43:12]
Guest (Jeff Bacalar):
"Our friends come sit on a couch and I interview them and we do like, six a night. And the whole idea is just about, like, getting cool people from the industry into the same room together so we could just talk this stuff out."

Conversation Highlights:

• Plans to continue legacy features like "GB at Night" during events such as Summer Game Fest.
• Exploration of live streams and event-based content to engage with the community and industry insiders.
• Intent to grow organically while maintaining a close-knit team structure, anticipating eventual expansion as revenue stabilizes.

Notable Quote:

Ed Zitron [43:00]: "It came from, like, the fact that the audience was so excited. It's like, oh, you know, they wanted that thing to keep going."

7. Conclusion: Optimism for the Future

Timestamp: [50:28]
Guests (Dan Reichert and Jeff Bacalar):
"We've got optimism and, you know, we were always passionate and everything, but now it just really feels like we're free to directly make the stuff the audience wants."

Conversation Highlights:

• A collective sense of hope and determination among the new Giant Bomb owners and guests.
• Recognition of the broader movement towards independent media as a sustainable and ethical alternative to corporate-run outlets.
• Encouragement to the community to support and engage with independent creators to foster a healthier media ecosystem.

Notable Quote:

Dan Reichert [42:40]: "With a little bit of what happened with our story. And I can be super jazzed about that, especially in the manner it did. I would like it not to have had to happen so quickly. I wish maybe I had another week or two where Grub and I could have landed this plane. But yeah, it is definitely a bright future in that regard for sure."

Key Takeaways:

• The acquisition of Giant Bomb by Jeff Bacalar, Jeff Grubb, and Dan Reichert marks a significant shift towards independent, creator-driven media in the gaming journalism landscape.
• Corporate ownership and private equity have historically compromised the integrity and quality of games journalism by prioritizing traffic and revenue over genuine content.
• Independent journalism fosters a more authentic, personality-rich environment that resonates better with audiences and maintains editorial independence.
• Collaboration among independent creators and fostering a supportive community are crucial for the sustainability and growth of quality gaming media.
• Despite challenges in monetization and competition from large corporate entities, there is optimism that independent outlets like Giant Bomb can thrive by prioritizing moral integrity and audience engagement.

Final Thoughts: This episode underscores the pressing need for a transformation in games journalism—a move away from corporate constraints towards a model that values authenticity, personality, and genuine connections with the audience. Giant Bomb's new ownership exemplifies this shift, offering a hopeful glimpse into a future where independent media can flourish and effectively counterbalance the dominance of private equity in the industry.