The VGBees Podcast

VGBees
  • 5.0 (1)
  • VIDEO GAMES
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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!

  1. 14 HRS AGO

    Ep 101: Star Fox 64 Remake, LEGO Batman, Mina the Hollower Release Date

    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 predicament 00:12:15 Star Fox 64 Remake 00:17:15 Mina the Hollower gets a release date at long last 00:19:16 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 great 00:28:27 More "no bummers" news round-up 00:31:42 Niki's new Logitech MX Master 4 mouse 00:43:37 Niki continues loving Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream 00:46:07 Echo Chaser is a slick PICO-8 free game 00:47:28 Family is a great music-centric game you can play for free right now 00:50:20 mini pharma is a charming PICO-8 puzzler 00:57:59 We answer your burning Hive Questions straight from our Discord 02:07:58 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.

    2h 11m

  2. 3 DAYS AGO ·  BONUS

    The Pittcast Season One w/ Danielle Riendeau

    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 field If 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.

    1hr 20min

  3. 3 MAY

    Ep 100: GameStop Preps eBay Purchase, usTwo's CEO Blunder, Paste Games Shuts Down

    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 Friday 00:06:05 GameStop could be prepping for an eBay takeover 00:13:50 Saudi Arabia is divesting from some entertainment properties 00:20:36 Atari acquires emulation studio Implicit Conversions 00:24:39 MTG: Arena devs unionize 00:28:48 usTwo CEO speaks way too candidly about labor relations within company 00:39:45 GreedFall dev Spiders being liquidated; mismanagement alleged 00:44:22 GameMaker integrates with Claude Code 00:48:00 The program is interrupted by Niki's neighborhood "Snacks Man" 00:51:55 Mac Minis are super expensive now because of AI 00:58:58 Last Flag not continuing content updates or console development 01:05:15 Thick as Thieves gets shorter, cheaper 01:08:08 AV Club Games is no more, which spells the end of Paste Games 01:14:50 Flotsam is a cell-shaded city builder on sea that Lotus really likes 01:22:22 Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is playing with dolls 01:36:00 CorgiSpace is a collection from one of the medium's most prolific creators 01:42:44 Titanium Court avoids Balatro time suck because of reading 01:44:00 Niki continues to build a NAS 01:54:55 We answer your Hive Questions for Episode 100 03:06:40 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.

    3h 10m

  4. 26 APR

    It's Okay For The Boys To Be Childish

    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/join 00:00:00 Intro 00:05:46 Mr. Beast sued by former employee 00:13:11 Ludum Dare to "end" in 2028 00:18:10 Playdate to block generative AI asset games; allow generative AI coded games 00:26:55 BAFTA Game Awards pulls trailer of "triggering" game 00:35:48 Sanrio & Toei both form game subsidiaries 00:39:39 Xbox carves out Call of Duty from Game Pass 00:50:17 Nintendo sued over tariff refund hoarding 00:54:49 Titanium Court is a feast for players looking for more substance in their roguelikes 01:02:20 Lotus went to a bunch of live sports events 01:14:05 Lotus went to Little Craft Fest 2026 01:25:00 Lotus & John answer your Hive Questions straight from the Discord 02:04:05 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.

    2h 8m

  5. 19 APR

    VGBees Woke Camp 2026

    SUPPORT US BY JOINING THE HIVE! Hi there! Lotus is still in space teaching the aliens about baseball (they like it!), while Niki and John are earthbound to discuss the week's biggest stories in games, including: Disney lays off 1,000; Marvel visual effects guttedDisney quietly delists games from SteamXenosaga Pied Piper, somehow, is coming to Switch and PCIron Galaxy lays off unknown number of staffJollibee x Final Fantasy XIV crossover eventSeason 3 of Playdate is comingKingdom Come: Deliverance 2 creative lead is weirdLana Del Rey is the 007 First Light songstressEpic's HR lead also lost their jobImagine Dragons' capture the flag game is outMouse: PI for Hire is unremarkable in every way that mattersSetting up a NAS in the endtimesWe answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from the Discord Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review! We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.

    2h 18m

  6. 12 APR

    The Assassination of Piglet by the Coward Buzz Lightyear

    Support us by joining The Hive! This week, Lotus repaired the toilets aboard the Artemis II on its way safely (!!!!) back to Earth. Niki and John were grounded, however, and came together to discuss the biggest games news of the week. Here's the run of show: Is Sid Meier the Ken Burns of video games?The Pacers Couple is fine and goodEpic is in deep with Disney and making an extraction shooterPete Hines has choice words for MicrosoftState of Decay 3 didn't really exist when they released the reveal trailerGlen Israel apocalyptically posts about Microsoft on LinkedInDoki Doki Literature Club removed from Google Play StoreProve You're Human is the next game from the 1000xResist devsYoshihisa Kishimoto passes away at the age of 64Marvel Rivals will apparently evolve from 6V6 PVPGunzilla, the new owner of Game Informer, accused not paying games salaries and contracts for monthsSlay the Spire 2 took a while to beat, but it's been a blastNiki's upcoming appearances on AstrogoblinWe answer your burning Hive Questions, like "what's a food that's better left out a while?" Thanks so much for listening! Leave us a review and we'll read it on the show! Note: we discuss three Microsoft stories this week. Microsoft continues to be a complicit player in the genocide happening in Gaza. Go to nogamesforgenocide.com to learn more about the BDS boycott and to make your own pledge.

    2h 40m

  7. 5 APR

    Garry's Mod II: Electric Boogaloo

    Support us by becoming a member of The Hive! With Niki on board the Artemis II to fix their Outlook situation, Lotus and John tackle the news and games of the week, including: Eidos-Montreal lays off 124 employeesStellar Blade's Shift Up acquires Shinji Mikami's brand new studioStormgate loses online support because their server provider was bought by an AI companyUS Patent Office rejects overbroad Nintendo patentS&box, the follow-up to Garry's Mod, is out later this monthPSA: the Steam versions of some classic Capcom games contain DRM not found on other storefrontsThe Gaming Historian retires from the channelThe Perfect Tower II exponentially expands the systems typically found in incremental gamesLucid Blocks has some charm, but maybe not the juiceProject Hail Mary is uneven but still made John cryAlamo Drafthouse has completely ruined its value propositionSummer House might be Bravo's most soulless show (that John can't stop watching)Your Hive Questions are answered, including if ET would be better with legs Thanks for listening! Leave us a review and we may read it on the show! Join The Hive!

    2h 6m

  8. 29 MAR

    Nintendo's Slice of Life Spring

    Support us by joining The Hive! This week, Lotus, Niki, and John contemplate Nintendo's strange (but maybe deliberate) choice to launch Animal Crossing's Switch 2 edition, Pokemon Pokopia, and Tomodachi Life in one tidy two month stretch. Also: Epic lays off 1,000 due to Fortnite "underperforming"OpenAI cans Sora and Disney exits investmentAlex from Street Fighter 6 married his adopted sister!Nintendo to price digital and physical differentlyPlayStation raising all hardware pricesNintendo planning new Star Fox, Ocarina of Time remake, no 3D Mario in 2026Wanderstop dev Ivy Road is shutting downFuni Raccoon Game is Irish in surprising and delightful waysTomodachi Life's demo reminds us why the Wii era was so successfulMarathon might make it????BLΛƆKPIИK has a new EP out!We answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord Thanks so much for listening! Leave us a review and we'll read it on the show!

    2h 14m
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Ratings & Reviews

About

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!

Information

  • Creator
    VGBees
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    109
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 VGBees
  • Show Website
    The VGBees Podcast

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