The VGBees Podcast

VGBees
  • 4.6 (50)
  • 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. 6D AGO

    Voluntarily Surrendering Your License To Print Money w/ Michael Higham

    On this week's show, the crew deals with several major post-scripts from last week's jam-packed news discussion block. Fortunately, Lotus, Niki, and John are joined by certified GOAT Michael Higham to unpack it all. Michael beat Resident Evil Requiem and John played it on Switch 2The global storage shortage gets very real with Seagate and Western Digital allocating stock of hard drives through 2026Valve is revisiting the timeline of their new hardware suiteSteam Deck OLED stock is out intermittently in major regionsSony and Nintendo both evaluating delays and price hikes for hardwareTiMi's Montreal studio closingTurns out we were right about pretty much everything we discussed regarding Tencent and Highguard last weekMicrosoft Japan under investigation for monopolistic practicesDiscord delaying age verification amid backlashskate developer laying off unknown number of staffNew York Attorney General suing Valve over loot boxesUK Advertising Committee issues enforcement over loot boxesEurogamer hit with layoffsBlueprint pitched a Bloodborne remake before its closurePokemon Winds & Waves revealed for 2027 releaseMichael and Niki played MarathonNiki and John played Vampire CrawlersNiki played Titanium CourtMichael played CicadamataThe crew answers your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord Thanks for listening! Join The Hive by going to vgbees.com/join today!

    3h 1m

  2. FEB 22

    Xbox Deserves This

    Support us by joining The Hive! This week's show was packed to the gills with discussion-worthy topics and that was before Phil Spencer announced his retirement, Sarah Bond resigned, and Asha Sharma ascended the Xbox throne. From there, Lotus, Niki, and John discussed: Sony shutting down BluepointTencent allegedly funded HighguardCastlevania franchise and Metal Gear Solid V dev Shutaro Ida passed away at 52Hideki Sato, "Father of Sega Hardware," passed away at 77Open-source engine Godot overwhelmed by AI-generated change requestsCall of Duty: Black Ops 7 ad banned in the UKSubstack and Polymarket partner upSaudi fund takes full control of Evo We played: OverwatchMoonrot We also answered your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord!

    3h 19m

  3. FEB 15

    Are You Strong Enough To Be My Cat w/ Charles Harte

    SUPPORT US BY JOINING THE HIVE Folks, this week was VERY jam-packed with discussion-worthy games news and that was BEFORE we even welcomed Game Informer's Charles Harte to the show. Together, Lotus, Niki, John, and Charles discussed: Mewgenics' blend of deep, enjoyable tactical combat and off-putting breeding mechanicsThe, let's call them rancid, vibes of Mewgenics' central thesisMewgenics' commitment to not understanding a punchlineMewgenics' bewildering cameo list Sony's State of Play was very busy, as well, including: A Return to PS2 Era of sortsKena: Scars of KosmoraA new Dead or Alive game in a very different fighting game landscapeIs Control Resonant what we want? Does it matter? Are they even showing us much?Star Wars Galactic Racer sure does look like a Burnout game (complimentary)Marathon is actively lying about what it is, but maybe that's smart????Metal Gear Solid 4 is breaking PS3 containmentGod of War: Sons of Sparta looks kinda bad, but it's out now And wow, the hits don't stop there: Discord's age verification is going to get messyDiscord's Teen Council sounds like a waking nightmare2XKO lays off significant staff because the game failed to hit its audienceUbisoft employees in Europe begin three-day strike while the company explores "voluntary termination" option for 200 positions in FranceHighguard team lays off significant staff just weeks after launch We played/watched: MewgenicsRelootedTears of the KingdomPelotonIron Lung (the film) We also answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS straight from our lovely Discord and update you on big happenings at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati.

    2h 45m

  4. FEB 8

    Tycho and The Heavy Fold

    This week, the whole gang is back together to discuss the biggest games news of the week, which sometimes wasn't about games at all! Including: Iron Lung opens #2 at domestic box office, paving the way for perhaps a new wave of independent film distributionAshes of Creation developer closes after clash between Creative Director and BoardBorderlands 4 Nintendo Switch 2 port "on pause" indefinitelyPoker Night at the Inventory is getting a new release after years of license limboCrunchyroll to produce original games Plus, there was a Nintendo Partner Direct: Orbitals was best in show (again)Resident Evil Requiem actually looks great on Switch 2Final Fantasy VII Rebirth coming to Switch 2 this summerLotus and Niki bully John about disliking Fallout 4The entire panel is split about whether The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a good titleTurok: Origins looks like Monster Hunter with guns kinda We played: Ball x PitTears of the KingdomTitanium CourtHermit and Pig Finally, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS straight from our lovely Discord.

    2h 7m

  5. FEB 1

    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: MoisturizerHaircarePelotonTchoukball Okay 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 lied about attending the Highguard preview eventVampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 missed expectations as Paradox is down year over year in operating profitJeffrey Epstein was banned from Xbox Live in 2013Peloton lays off 11% of its staff amid AI failuresShould we kill the CEOs in our heads?Is there literally any benefit from creating Nintendo knockoffs in Google Genie and writing about it? We played: HighguardThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomMARVEL Cosmic Invasion We also answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord, including: Which burner on your stove is the best burner?What's your next tattoo?Is an MBA worth it?If you couldn't talk about video games, what would the show be about?

    2h 44m

  6. JAN 25

    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 soon We played: Animal Crossing: New HorizonsSéance at Blake ManorPocoTR-49 Also, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord.

    2h 22m

  7. JAN 18

    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 rules We played: Animal Crossing New HorizonsAngeline EraType Help Also, your burning HIVE QUESTIONS are answered from our lovely Discord.

    2h 6m

  8. JAN 11

    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 announced We played: Vital Shell Also, your burning HIVE QUESTIONS are answered straight from our lovely Discord.

    2h 35m
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4.6
out of 5
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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
    98
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 VGBees
  • Show Website
    The VGBees Podcast

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