The VGBees Podcast
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...
Abandoning Your Launch Strategy 101
With Lotus on the International Space Station this week, John and Niki wasted no time discussing these completely relevant topics:
MoisturizerHaircarePelotonTchoukballOkay but they did get down to the most important games news of the week, including:
The Highguard team quit their shadowdrop plans to take a slot at The Game AwardsCould Geoff not fill the last slot of the evening?What does it mean for next year's pricing for trailer space?Why Highguard's reworked launch strategy might not pay offWhy the Highguard preview event could've worked in their favor with a different strategyDr Disrespect...Ubisoft Creative House Six: Earmarked for the Public Investment Fund
This week, Niki, John, and Lotus confront the biggest gaming stories of the week, including:
Ubisoft's major reorg, including game cancelations and new structuresTencent getting into podcasts, which we're sure will go greatMarathon gets a release date and a surprising collector's editionCapcom experiments with generative AI to stop being creativeFable takes a baffling stance on morality in the year 2026Highguard is out so very soonWe played:
Animal Crossing: New HorizonsSéance at Blake ManorPocoTR-49Also, we answer yo
Two Bucks is Free (Except When It's Not)
This week, Lotus, Niki, and John set out to dissect the price sensitivity opus laid out by Peak's devs in an interview with Stephen Totilo. Is eight bucks really five bucks? This and much more, including:
AGDQ's haul and interesting futureHytale's long path to Early AccessMeta's VR investment goes toe upSteam Community Awards face major changesSpry Fox spinning out of NetflixInverse & The Verge see games-related layoffsSteam rewrites their generative AI disclosure rulesWe played:
Animal Crossing New HorizonsAngeline EraType HelpAlso, your burning HIVE QUESTIONS are answered from our lovely
PEGI 16: Bad Language, Drugs, Discourse
This week, Lotus, Niki, and John are back and ready to tackle the first fresh news of 2026, including:
The passing of Sega cofounder David RosenDiscord files for an IPONew Life is Strange is leaked to ratings siteJason Schreier causes Take-Two's stock price go down, kindaMinecraft getting new baby animalsLarian's CEO still doesn't seem to understand Gen AIIndependent Games Festival nominees announcedWe played:
Vital ShellAlso, your burning HIVE QUESTIONS are answered straight from our lovely Discord.
Running Out of Stuff to Safely Say About Gen AI in Public
This week, John, Niki, and Lotus stare down the barrel of a very slow gaming news week, so they tackle some additional stuff, too, including:
Twitter's Gen AI CSAM and sexual violence catastropheMicrosoft's CEO begging us to stop calling Gen AI "slop"GOG cofounder buys GOG from CD PROJEKT (which he also cofounded)GPUs are going to get even more expensiveSplitgate sequel is not going very wellWe played:
Formless Star, the follow-up to sublime FrankenFinal Fantasy IX, perhaps the best of the entire franchiseWe also answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS straight...
VGBees Games of the Year 2025
Note: a better quality audio upload will be available in a couple days.
Hello! Another year has flown by and Niki, Lotus, and John are here to talk about their favorite games and gaming-adjacent things from 2025! Included in the GOTY chat:
Donkey Kong BananzaHades IIAvowed*Ball X PitPokemon Legends: Z-ABlippo+KinophobiaMario Kart WorldThe Nintendo Switch 2Also, the news of the week!
Star Citizen will eclipse one billion dollars in investment soonClair Obscur's Indie Game Award was rescinded for AI inclusionVince Zampella dead at 55We answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our...
Gibbed in the MRI Machine
This week, Niki treats John and Lotus to the first ever VGBees Podcast Edition of Scam Text Theatre! After this momentous occasion, the crew turns its sights to the biggest news of the week, including:
Larian's CEO decides to drag his company into a gen AI quagmirePeople Make Games boycott Xbox (and transforms John's thinking in the process)League of Legends is getting a massive reworkProtecting Muppet Kayfabe
Editor's note: this week's episode failed to upload individual stems of each recording, which means this final product is a bit rougher than usual. This is John and Streamyard's fault. Jordan did a great job with it.
This week, Niki, Lotus, and John are all here to discuss the Biggest Night in Gaming™ aka The Game Awards. Included in the overall discussion:
Casey Hudson's Star Wars RPGLarian's horrifying trailer for DivinityCapcom flubbing Leon Kennedy and Mega Man, somehowControl Resonant isn't quite what we want but that's okayStar Wars Galactic Racer is the Y2K game our fa...Everything is Safe in Netflix's Capable Hands!
This week, John and Lotus celebrate the return of Niki to the show by immediately yelling at them for saying no one knows who Ron Gilbert is. Also!
Netflix is buying Warner Bros. for $82.7b, including WB's gamesRon Gilbert's Death by Scrolling had big trouble finding publisher moneyHorses banned by Epic Games StoreEA's buyout is going 93.4% to the SaudisMina the Hollower needs to be a huge hit, Yacht Club admits for some reasonNo Players Online is back on Steam after spurious DMCA takedownTim Cain is back...well kind of he wasn't ever really gone it seems like...at...Hold Your Horses
This week, Lotus and John dissect the biggest news stories of the week, including:
Horses banned from Steam and the oddities surrounding itSplash Damage enters consultation ahead of layoffsCoatsink to lay off roughly half their studioNintendo to acquire 80% of Bandai Namco Studios SingaporeDDR5s and SSDs face massive price hike amidst shortageDemonschool does something fun with their creditsHere's what we played this week:
HYPERBEATMorselsFinally, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord.
The Joe Pesci of Podcasts
This week, Lotus and John are feeling particularly thankful for the handful of absolutely bananas stories that dropped in their laps! Including:
Tencent's ultimate investment in UbisoftYoko Taro's projects keep getting canceledUnity coming to UnrealMegabonk withdraws from The Game AwardsUnknown Worlds vs Krafton gets unbelievably weirdRoblox CEO says the wildest things you can imagine on a podcastAlso, Lotus and John played/watched/listened to:
One Battle After Another (film)Lingo 2Berserk B.I.T.S.The Phlegms' new album Gulp (album)Pluribus (television show)We, of course, answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS...
Even You Could Be Samus Aran's Sidekick!
This week, Lotus and John tackle an absolute boatload of games news and notes, including:
Valve's Steam Machine, Frame, and Controller all due in 2026Halo Infinite's final update coming this monthThe mishandling of The Game Awards Future Class is another black mark on whatever legacy Geoff Keighley is trying to leaveSony's fiscal report shows 40% share of software revenue to live service gamesMarathon apparently coming by the end of March 2026Arc Raiders uses AI voices and people are weird about people being weird about itAmbrosia Sky suddenly has a complicated release structure for some reasonThe Indie Game Awards are...Matt Booty's 10,000 Testers
This week, Niki returns after a taxing move to talking to Lotus and John about a game they played called Life's Eternal Puzzle. Not out on any consoles I can find but still interesting!
Also!
Grand Theft Auto VI is delayedRockstar's fired employees were allegedly leaking information (uh huh)Protests erupt outside RockstarTexas sues Roblox (get ready to get acquainted with Ken Paxton, one of the worst dudes in the world)Borderlands 4 sales laggingAvowed 2 might be coming (according to disgraced Obsidian founder)Surprise! Executives believe Steam has a monopoly on PC Games market!Marvel 1943: Rise of...Sneakadoodle Interview w/ Joe is Hungry (Bonus Episode)
From the VGBees Bonus Feed -- join The Hive today to get bonus episodes like this all year.
John gave himself such a strange and wonderful birthday gift this year by asking Joe from the Joe Is Hungry YouTube channel for ninety minutes of his time. Joe, kindly, obliged. And this is the result. If you've never watched Joe Is Hungry, it is a fast food review channel with a growing and vocal fandom. You'll understand. Interview includes:
Joe's background as a nursethe origin of the huge knifethe cats!Joe's video editing philosophies and how he...Competing with Steam as a Goof
This week, Niki has been taken by the Swamp Monster so Lotus and John are fending for themselves. Lucky for you, they love to yap! Included in the gab sesh:
EA's generative AI tools all suck and no one likes themAmazon is cutting tens of thousands of jobsMany Amazon Games projects have shut downAmazon Games was apparently (???) competing with Steam the whole timeDon't Nod is working with Netflix IP for upcoming projectHuge Animal Crossing New Horizons update is comingNintendo is selling a huge Breath of the Wild vinyl setTake-Two & Rockstar do some union bustingStasisDeep Sleep TrilogyKinophobiaNinja Gaiden: RageboundShinobi...Phil & Todd Flood the Zone
On this week's episode, Niki, Lotus, and John discuss Microsoft's extremely weird week/month/year/decade. Including:
the 30% margin mandateflooding the zone with Fallout news, The Outer Worlds 2, Keeper, and Ninja Gaiden 4the inevitable return of HaloHalo Campaign Evolved being one of the worst titles everGrunts aren't supposed to glistendev kits see huge price hikePLUS:
Krafton is "AI first"Jennifer Hale doesn't know Mass Effect 5 is doomedPokemon Legends Z-A is really funny??? On purpose????Ball x Pit is one of John's games of the yearWe also answer your BURNING HIVE QUESTIONS...
Body Works, Body Worlds, Body Bath & Beyond
Hi folks! This week, Niki fills out an application for an apartment, John gets something wrong (again), and Lotus explores Steam Next Fest! Included in their discussion:
Assassin's Creed lead departs UbisoftTencent and Sony apparently worked on a The Last of Us project togetherTomunobu Itagaki's legacyHard Drive's descent into 2005 internet bullshitQuantic Dream's new multiplayer projectLumines AriseBall x PitPokémon Z-ADanchi DaysHorripilantThe Third ShiftThe Séance of Blake ManorSepulchronand much more!Also, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord.
Assassin's Creed: Roku City
This week marks the beginning of the Lotus era at The VGBees Podcast. She joins John and Niki as the third permanent cohost of the show and immediately brings insight to the program like...what if Nintendo likes making money?
But also!
the dense delight of Digimon Story: Time Strangerthe apparent end of Hyper Light Breaker's developmentthe rumor that AMD needed a 10,000,000 unit commitment for Xbox's dedicated handheldNintendo's slide into DisneyficationUbisoft's canceled Reconstruction Era, anti-Klan Assassin's Creedwhy is former Halo art director vagueposting on LinkedIn?Megabonk's relationship with cringe and Risk of Rain 2Shadow Labyrinth being...Flashing Neom Lights of Late Stage Capitalism
This week, Niki and John have a lot to chat about in and around a busy few days in video games, including:
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's huge price hikeinterpreting the latest in Microsoft's non-planObsidian bearing the brunt of Microsoft's decision-makingJared Kushner and Saudi Arabia are taking EA privateSeumas McNally Award Winner Consume Me's greatnessWheel of Fortune on the PlayStation 5Hades II is simply wonderful to playFinal Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles gets an apology from JohnSuper Mario Galaxy 2 continues the odd but welcome tradition of cutting room floor direct sequelsAll of this and your BURNING...
It's Time For Wolf Girls w/ Michael Higham
This week, Niki and John are joined by none other than Michael Higham on this, the very special 69th episode of The VGBees Podcast. In this jam-packed episode, we cover:
Wolverine's profoundly bloody introductionthe Returnal of it all of Sarosa brief look at new Virtua Fighter Project detailsthe impossible bigness of Anantaa conversation about remakes prompted by the perplexing Deus Ex remasterForza Horizon 6 and how the game can recapture past magicEasy Delivery Co. and John unironically calling a game cozy in 2025Niki's evolving relationship with skate.Higham going long on Trails in the Sky and its new remakeBaby...Borderlands: The Borderlands of Borderlands: Now With More Borderlands
This week, John regrets to inform you and Niki that Borderlands 4 is just more Borderlands, for better or worse. John thinks maybe worse. Niki's right, it's just 2K's Madden. Also:
the very interesting misfire that is Skate.Dying Light: The Beast is apparently great but we can't get past the Hinterlands of Dying Light 2the poor PC performance of Borderlands 4 and Randy Pitchford's admittedly very, very, very funny (if wildly unprofessional) responses to that criticismthe flatness of NBA 2K26Tears of the Kingdom two and a half years laterPeloton's Lanebreakthe inextricable link between Queen Elizabeth dying and our...Pokémon Dinkum
This week, Niki and John dive way way way into the mega-sized Nintendo Direct this week. Did you know that Super Mario is 40 years old??? Just like John! Wow! Also:
paying for Super Mario Galaxy againNintendo remembers Super Mario Galaxy 2 existsthe new Mario movie is just Super Mario GalaxySuper Mario Wonder for Switch 2Mario Tennis FeverYoshi and the Mysterious BookVirtual Boy on Nintendo Switch OnlineSamus has a cool bike in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond nowHades II is out SO soonPokemon PokopiaDinkumFire Emblem Fortune's WeaveDonkey Kong Bananza DLCDragon Quest VII Reimaginedand more!Also, we answer your burning HIVE...
Silksong Is And Always Was Coming Out
Hello! This week, John and Niki discuss the most explosive game release of the year, Hollow Knight: Silksong. 500,000 concurrents? Broken shops? Unfathomable discourse? You got it, baby.
That, and:
The downfall of games critThe value of asking piracy forum dwellers to weigh in on the most popular game of the year007 First Light gameplayFootball Manager 26College basketball coming to NBA 2KFiraxis layoffsKirby and the Forgotten Land for Switch 2Also, we answer your HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord.
This Podcast Was Built In The Frostbite Engine
This week, John is back at full strength and here to discuss all the games Niki has played! Among the discussion points:
Layoffs at Giant Squid & Rec RoomConversation boundaries and etiquetteSword of the SeaWe Are OFKCircuits RoyalePokemon Red Rescue TeamPokemon Rescue Team DXMetal Gear Solid 3 Deltaand more!Also, we answer your BURNING HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord.
Stuck in a House, No Outside w/ Lotus
With John on the International Space Station, Niki and Lotus talk all things Gamescom 2025, including:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7Black Myth: Zhong KuiResident Evil RequiemWorld of Tanks: HeatGhost of YoteiWorld of Warcraft MidnightUNBEATABLEJohn Carpenter's Toxic CommandoHollow Knight: SilksongLEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark KnightPlus, a big, big dive into why Lotus is DONE with Marvel Rivals.
Also, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS directly from our Discord.
1-900-GAMBLER w/ Lotus
This week, Niki and John are joined by Lotus, who has a lot of smart ideas about how messy the "reporting" around itch.io has gotten, frozen alcohol, and whole word comprehension. Also:
the breakdown of "games journalist" as an ideaHardspace Shipbreaker goes to Blackbird 100%common core mathdrinking in parking lotsFrankenstein shoesadult bracesgetting addicted to going to the hospitalWe also answer your BURNING HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord.
Twelve Minutes, Not the Video Game
Niki and John had a great time talking about the Nintendo Indie World Showcase this week on the show right after they spent twelve minutes talking about a thing that's embargoed! When will you hear about it? Next week!
What remains is still a rip-roaring two hours of video game bliss, including:
Mage ArenaMerge MaestroPrimal PlanetFortnite's new Power Rangers/Halo seasonPuzzmoand more!Also, we answer ALL your HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord.
Battlefield Now with More Battlefield
This week, John and Niki discuss the latter's big media day with Battlefield 6, the game that's aiming for 100,000,000 players! Do they think it can happen? You'll have to listen to find out. Also:
The stranger side of big PR gaming eventsTerri Schiavo (really)Ray Romano's net worthNintendo Partner ShowcaseDonkey Kong BananzaWhich eight Capcom games outsold Monster Hunter Wilds this quarterand much more!We also answer your BURNING HIVE QUESTIONS straight from our Discord.
The Podcast with All the Answers
Hi there! This week, Niki and John went super long and recorded three solid hours of discussion, including:
College Football 26Donkey Kong BananzaWhat if the Switch 2 Lite has an OLED?The simple brilliance of TennoconWhat other PR teams miss about the process of making gamesThey also go very deep on this week's payments processor crackdown on adult Itch.io games and the government's continued assault on sex work, queerness, disability, etc. We offer a whole lot of unfiltered thoughts with very little by way of a solution. :-)
Anyway, we also had a...
Donkey Kong Will Fix You
Niki's live from London, Ontario this week at Tennocon while John's getting up at the crack to podcast. What a show, too! We're absolutely loving Donkey Kong Bananza and John might be obsessed with the Horse Girl Game????
Also, we discuss the rise of fascism as expressed via:
Roblox verifying the identities of children via AIFinancial transaction companies cracking down on Steam's adult contentThe 24/7 amateur surveillance stateAlso, books! Ever heard of them? We answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS directly from our Discord.
The We Ate Too Much Hurtado BBQ Special
Niki is IN JOHN'S HOUSE this weekend. Wild stuff. They grabbed lunch at Hurtado BBQ and ate a truly irresponsible amount and then decided to podcast! Smart? Not really. But here we are! Discussion points:
AEW All In TexasThe Steam Summer SalePeakRematchSongs/games of the summerSeasonal/weather-specific gamesWe also answer your HIVE QUESTIONS from Discord.
Big Head, Keg Torso, Can't Lose w/ Grant Stoner
On a very special public bonus of the show, John is joined by fellow disabled games media person Grant Stoner (IGN, Polygon, VGBees) to celebrate Disability Pride Month! How do they celebrate? By regaling each other with tales of crippledom from yesterday and today! Also:
The importance of sources in investigative journalismAdvice for disabled writers working in the fieldThe most out of pocket interactions we've had as disabled people (oops, all Christian mysticism!)The joy of breaking outside of accessibility coverage (to some extent)The excitement of community reportingHow layoffs disproportionately affect disabled workersAnd much more!...
Beard Care At the End of the World w/ Garrett Martin
This week, Niki and John are joined by perhaps the greatest games media talent scout in the industry's history, Endless Mode's Editor-in-Chief Garrett Martin. He hung out to tell us about the new site, what to expect from its amazing writers, and, of course, theme parks! Also:
nearly half an hour of AEW All In Texas preview discussion (sorry non-wrestling fans)Kotaku's sale to KeleopsMicrosoft's astonishing layoff round of 9,100 employeesPerfect Dark reboot canceled and studio shutteredEA's bonkers 100,000,000 player expectation for BattlefieldBonk!Shmups!Half SwordSGDQ 2025Also, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord.
The Miracle of Childbirth
This week, Niki and John go deep (again) on Mario Kart World and its most head-scratching design choices. Tired of us talking about that? Okay! We also talked about:
Andrew Wilson's obscene pay bump at EAMicrosoft's upcoming massive layoffPeak sells 2m copiesNintendo "fixes" something everyone thought was fine in Mario Kart Worldthe dark corners of Cyberpunk 2077and much more!Also, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord!
This Sense of Impending Doom Is an Xbox
John returns to the podcast after spending last week in the hospital and joins Niki to talk about the second full week of Switch 2 as well as:
the indefinite Marathon delay3rd party titles apparently lagging on Switch 2historic sales figures for Switch 2Xbox's core strategyMario Kart WorldDonkey Kong BananzaCyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2PoxelFBC: FirebreakDeltaruneAlso, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord community.
Gamifying HIPAA Violations w/ Lotus
This week, John was zooted in the hospital recovering from surgery (he's fine!), so Niki and Lotus took the reins and delivered a banger of an episode, featuring:
Summer Game Fest swagSonic Racing: CrossworldsLumines AriseMindsEyeMario Kart Worldthe rise of fascism and incompetence of our oppressorsNintendo Switch 2 first week sales figuresand much, much moreAlso, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS straight from our lovely Discord.
Audio Poison: The VGBees SGF Mixer 2025
John broke his ankle in a car accident so couldn't make it out to SGF this year, so instead Niki attended the planned VGBees Mixer and we decided to set up a little area for John to digitally greet guests. And then we decided to make it into an episode. Smart? Not really! Jordan Mallory, our intrepid producer, did a marvelous job making this at least listenable, but conceptually it was not smart. But we did it anyway!
The VGBees Way.
Is it a fun episode? Yes. John tackles the Sony State of Play and...
There's An Ys In Here Somewhere
Niki and John are riding solo this week while we prepare for Summer Game Fest. Included in their hangout:
Coverage expectations of Geoff's big showEA's cancelation of Black Panther and the closure of CliffhangerMemories of E3Battle Aces shutting downTencent's recent catalogXbox moving away from proprietary handheld (for now)Elden Ring Nightreign's PC problemsgetting paid to hate a gameAlso, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord!
Randy's Looking Over Your Shoulder w/ Dan Ryckert
This week, Niki and John are joined by one fifth of the owners of Giant Bomb, the unfathomable Dan Ryckert! Yes, wrestling comes up. Yes, fast food brands are discussed. Yes, extremely local minutia is mentioned. Also:
Joe is HungryTommy Tallaricoowning a business like owning a car?Death Stranding 2: On the BeachTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical TakedownTo a TDeliver At All CostsStar CitizenWe answer your HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord like we do every single week!
Basic Bogging w/ Jenna Stoeber
Hello Hive! This week, Niki and John are joined by extremely talented and funny video essayist, streamer, and podcast host Jenna Stoeber! In addition to a lively discussion of whether can is barrel, the group discussed:
Jenna's PAX EastKaraoke go-tosEnding our time with Blue PrinceNintendo Switch 2 colliding with Summer Game FestThe non-story of Kingdom Hearts IV's screenshot dropBungie possibly lifting stolen art directly into Marathon's alphaand more!Also, we answer your HIVE QUESTIONS, which you can provide for us every single week on our Discord.
