Ben Pack announces he's leaving Giant Bomb

Ravelle · Jan 13, 2021

All I can hear is Jan sadly saying "everyone is leaving me" from the phasmophobia playdate. :(

Gonna miss Ben for sure, loved the games he brought up and brought to light and enjoyed listening to him and like others said, Health is number 1!

I also quit a job lined up with nothing some years ago to take back my mental health, it's a risky move but health is super important.

hjort · Jan 13, 2021

Xater said:
All the best to Ben and his future endeavors. It's an understandable decision if you want more of a private life.

Curious though if GB will get new talent soonish though. Otherwise they are starting to be a bit thin on talent. I feel like combining the podcasts might be good.

Combining the podcasts is one of my big fears, 'cause I love The Beastcast crew and their chemistry. Even though it was a huge loss when Abby left, I feel that Alex, Vinny and Bakalar have a great thing going, just the three of them. The west coast crew just have a different vibe, I think. It's not that they're incompatible, 'cause they all work great together, but I feel like there's a risk of the west coast vibe eating the east cost vibe.

Tremorah · Jan 13, 2021

Just Jan on the youngling side now..

Wonder how long it takes for things to be "normal" for them to start hiring and what the site will even be at that point

Why would you do that? · Jan 13, 2021

Camisado said:
My worry with Giantbomb is I just don't hear about them anymore outside of their own bubble they exist in. I just went to the site and it looks like the pace of anything non-premium, like quick looks, has really slowed down.

Quick looks have slowed down recently because 1) they've been transitioning from CBS to Red Ventures which seems to be a big headache, 2) December and especially January have very few notable game releases for them to do quick looks of, and 3) they're preparing for Game of the Year, so they're mostly focusing on playing games from last year.

Next week they're going to have plenty of free content because they're doing Game of the Year.

TrubbleFrog · Jan 13, 2021

The struggle to be "on" all the time has got to be so taxing.

Good luck to Ben! Here's to hoping his next gig is something he's into and pays well.

tmarg · Jan 13, 2021

I haven't listened to the pod yet, but multiple people leaving in the middle of a pandemic/recession with no solid prospects seems like a worrying trend.

Staal · Jan 13, 2021

Well, good luck to Ben.

Interested in any new people which they will hire.

Kappakerby · Jan 13, 2021

In the coming weeks they are going to have to convince subscribers there is a reason to continue paying for their memberships. They have been bleeding talent and with the added stresses of the coronavirus lockdown their content stream has been lacking.

I want to continue supporting them but there comes a certain point where I just feel like I'm pumping money into a sinking ship.

Sonicbug · Jan 13, 2021

the pandemic hasn't been great for anyone's mental health so I can understand wanting to revaluate your life. It sucks that both Abby left and now Ben. I hope they can get some new blood in sooner rather than later, or maybe at least pick up some out of work friends to fill out the roster.

Best of luck Ben, I'll miss your energy.

Addleburg · Jan 13, 2021

hjort said:
Combining the podcasts is one of my big fears, 'cause I love The Beastcast crew and their chemistry. Even though it was a huge loss when Abby left, I feel that Alex, Vinny and Bakalar have a great thing going, just the three of them. The west coast crew just have a different vibe, I think. It's not that they're incompatible, 'cause they all work great together, but I feel like there's a risk of the west coast vibe eating the east cost vibe.

Agreed. I think the Beast Cast has a verve to it and playfulness that I don't get from the Bomb Cast, even after Abby's departure. The Bomb Cast often feels like Jeff talking for a while with the occasional funny barbs from Ben and the odd from Brad in response to something. I like the podcast, but it's a different vibe.

Beast Cast feels like a group of friends playfully roasting each other and intertwining it well with games. It's always more entertaining to me, due in part to it having my favorite GB members on it, except Jeff G. Add the occasional visit from Ron, and it's the stronger of the two shows easily.

Camisado · Jan 13, 2021

Why would you do that? said:
Quick looks have slowed down recently because 1) they've been transitioning from CBS to Red Ventures which seems to be a big headache, 2) December and especially January have very few notable game releases for them to do quick looks of, and 3) they're preparing for Game of the Year, so they're mostly focusing on playing games from last year.

Next week they're going to have plenty of free content because they're doing Game of the Year.

Fair enough! Like I said, I've dropped so far off the radar with GB that I wasn't sure if that was the new norm or not. Happy to hear it's not though :)

Patsy · Jan 13, 2021

awww man, gonna miss him :( wish him all the best though

chubigans said:
Interesting follow up post.

with all the harrassment he & his partner (don't know if they're still together?) get, i really don't think it's surprising in the least that he wants more privacy. and god knows he fucking deserves it. knowing people talk horribly about you & your loved ones even in places you try to avoid at all costs has to be incredibly hard to carry with you every day. it's also incredibly naive to think muting & blocking every person harrassing you would be enough, because it's not like those people don't create alts solely to keep harrassing someone or find other avenues to send them hate. hell, some people go as far as calling relatives & harrassing those, good luck just simply ignoring that.

Lausebub · Jan 13, 2021

Sad that Ben is leaving, but if it's the right decision for him all the better.

With them getting a new studio, I think he will also get the money to hire more people if they need to. Austin, Abby and Ben have been a great addition to Giant Bomb and the industry as a whole, so I am confident they can find other great people to replace them.

Spectromixer · Jan 13, 2021

damn 😕

mere_immortal · Jan 13, 2021

tmarg said:
I haven't listened to the pod yet, but multiple people leaving in the middle of a pandemic/recession with no solid prospects seems like a worrying trend.

I don't think Ben at least said he had nothing lined up? Sounded more like he just didn't want to share anything further about his life after GB.

thepenguin55 · Jan 13, 2021

What a bummer. Totally understandable though. I hope he finds a job he likes that he's more comfortable with. Though selfishly I hope he has a change of heart at some point and returns. Its interesting though that he chose not to leave at the same time as Abby, instead he transitioned to Red Venture and then immediately left.

hjort · Jan 13, 2021

Addleburg said:
Agreed. I think the Beast Cast has a verve to it and playfulness that I don't get from the Bomb Cast, even after Abby's departure. The Bomb Cast often feels like Jeff talking for a while with the occasional funny barbs from Ben and the odd from Brad in response to something. I like the podcast, but it's a different vibe.

Beast Cast feels like a group of friends playfully roasting each other and intertwining it well with games. It's always more entertaining to me, due in part to it having my favorite GB members on it, except Jeff G. Add the occasional visit from Ron, and it's the stronger of the two shows easily.

Yeah, it's exactly like you describe it. It just feels like a bunch of friends shooting the shit and talking games, and that makes it so easy to listen to. I've never been big on podcasts in general, but I listen to the Beast Cast as soon as I can every single time.

Truant · Jan 13, 2021

That sucks, but you gotta do what makes you happy. Smart dude and seems like he brought a lot to the crew. Good luck, my guy!

tatwo · Jan 13, 2021

I just started to warm up to him. Shame he decided to leave GB.

DailyCalmSpirit · Jan 13, 2021

Sounds like Ben's making a much needed personal decision, so, that's awesome for him!

Oddly enough, I've been listening to old clips of Ryan-era GB days and there's just so much energy that's been missing there every since his passing. They all used to crack each other up all the time, and, especially on the west, that just never happens anymore. Ironically, Ben is the one who I'd hear laughing the most.

I hope this gives them the opportunity to get someone with high energy and enthusiasm to maybe get some of that spark back.

DOBERMAN INC · Jan 13, 2021

Damn, GB was already running on a skeleton crew.

Good luck to Ben and to Giant Bomb.

shenden · Jan 13, 2021

Well damn, sorry to hear that.

I hope they get to recruit new blood soon, cause Bombcast is in dire need of that to keep the ball moving. Especially for Jeff & Brad, who can bounce off each other well, but without Ben it's Jan and Jason left and sorry, but those two barely have any interactions during the cast.

Kabuki Quantum Lover · Jan 13, 2021

Oof, that's a bit of a loss for the west coast crew. Good luck to Ben -- this is a rough time for all.

Jeff has quite a lot of work ahead of him -- replacing Dan, Abby and Ben is a gargantuan task.

spacer · Jan 13, 2021

Well that's a bummer. I liked Ben. He seemed to have the most consistently great one-liners that had me cracking up while listening to the podcast. I don't consume any other Giant Bomb content, but the podcast will definitely suffer without him.

DiceHands · Jan 13, 2021

Damn man :( Ben was a great addition to the cast. I wish him all the best in the future. Really hope GB can find some new talent to fill the massive voids left by Dan, Abby and now Ben.

We_care_a_lot · Jan 13, 2021

I hate to get all 'sjw' on this one but I honestly stopped paying attention to Giant Bomb years ago due to their overwhelmingly straight white male perspective. I see that largely has not changed

Aly · Jan 13, 2021

That sucks, but you need to do whatever makes you happy. All the best to Ben!

Bear · Jan 13, 2021

We_care_a_lot said:
I hate to get all 'sjw' on this one but I honestly stopped paying attention to Giant Bomb years ago due to their overwhelmingly straight white male perspective. I see that largely has not changed

Yeah, you're right, sometimes it's better not to post at all.

Skyebaron · Jan 13, 2021

We_care_a_lot said:
I hate to get all 'sjw' on this one but I honestly stopped paying attention to Giant Bomb years ago due to their overwhelmingly straight white male perspective. I see that largely has not changed

so thats the other extreme that the other extreme makes memes about.

Deleted member 44129 · Jan 13, 2021

Please don't let GB die on its arse this year. I know it sounds melodramatic but I dont need that at the moment.

Been listening to GB for over a decade. It's part of my life, part of my routine.

Myself · Jan 13, 2021

Tagyhag said:
Shame, but I hope he does something he really enjoys. No more fighting game science :[

Not surprised, dude got way too much hate. People can be assholes.

I can imagine that shit can get you down after a while.

Dwebble · Jan 13, 2021

We_care_a_lot said:
I hate to get all 'sjw' on this one but I honestly stopped paying attention to Giant Bomb years ago due to their overwhelmingly straight white male perspective. I see that largely has not changed

Setting aside anything else, assuming the sexuality of someone like Ben who goes out of his way to be non-committal on that front is pretty fucked-up.

Praxis · Jan 13, 2021

We_care_a_lot said:
I hate to get all 'sjw' on this one but I honestly stopped paying attention to Giant Bomb years ago due to their overwhelmingly straight white male perspective. I see that largely has not changed

You don't say

JimD · Jan 13, 2021

hjort said:
Combining the podcasts is one of my big fears, 'cause I love The Beastcast crew and their chemistry. Even though it was a huge loss when Abby left, I feel that Alex, Vinny and Bakalar have a great thing going, just the three of them. The west coast crew just have a different vibe, I think. It's not that they're incompatible, 'cause they all work great together, but I feel like there's a risk of the west coast vibe eating the east cost vibe.

Neither podcast is going anywhere. Both the Bombcast and the Beastcast are among the highest ranking game podcasts on every chart out there. Jeff's mentioned that they get a huge number of listeners from just the podcasts alone. That means a really strong ad revenue stream that's separate from their sub base. Red Ventures literally exists to maximize that kind of ad implementation. The two podcasts are the safest thing about GB.

Virtua Saturn · Jan 13, 2021

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Please don't let GB die on its arse this year. I know it sounds melodramatic but I dont need that at the moment.

Been listening to GB for over a decade. It's part of my life, part of my routine.

Same, I occasionally try other gaming podcasts but I always come back to Giant Bomb.

CanUKlehead · Jan 13, 2021

Not a Ben fan at all, but lot of you seem to like him anyway but not gonna argue about some random person on the Internet, who's leaving his job lol
All the best to him and GB.

AccidentalPancakes · Jan 13, 2021

If there is anything good about the RedVentures thing, it'll be that the podcasts will start getting proper ad treatment. It really felt to me like someone at CBSi didn't take podcasting ads seriously.

Tahnit · Jan 13, 2021

Patsy said:
with all the harrassment he & his partner (don't know if they're still together?) get,

wait what? this is a thing?

Starburns · Jan 13, 2021

I get it. Especially the part of wanting a more private life, being even kind of out there can be exhausting. But also the lack of career advancement. Last year I interviewed at a new company, and everything I'd heard was "make sure you apply for the job you want, it's great to work here, and because of that nobody leaves, so you really CAN'T move up" and in the interview that confirmed that.

When you have Jeff, Alex, Brad, and Vinny who are effectively all lifers (and I'm stoked by that) there are only so many responsibilities to spread around. I've been listening regularly since late 2011, and with each new addition I've had the same cycle of:
1 - Who's this new person? Kind of annoying.
2 - Okay, new person isn't going away, just get used to them.
3 - Start developing an appreciation for new person.
4 - New person becomes part of the crew, and I'm fully on board.
5 - New person leaves, and back to square one.

It happened with Patrick, Austin, Dan, Drew, Abby, Ben. And all but the final step for Jeff B, Jan, Jason.

Anyway, I wish Ben nothing but the best, and I hope wherever he goes he finds happiness. And I'll always laugh at the though of this exchange he detailed.

Random person: Hey, you're tall! Do you play basketball?
Ben: *look forlorn and speaks softly* not since the accident.

Hilarious.

hjort · Jan 13, 2021

JimD said:
Neither podcast is going anywhere. Both the Bombcast and the Beastcast are among the highest ranking game podcasts on every chart out there. Jeff's mentioned that they get a huge number of listeners from just the podcasts alone. That means a really strong ad revenue stream that's separate from their sub base. Red Ventures literally exists to maximize that kind of ad implementation. The two podcasts are the safest thing about GB.

I didn't know they were that successful! That's great to hear! I really hope Red Ventures is prepared to help them expand the rest of the content too, though.

xyla · Jan 13, 2021

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Please don't let GB die on its arse this year. I know it sounds melodramatic but I dont need that at the moment.

Been listening to GB for over a decade. It's part of my life, part of my routine.

I don't think that's gonna happen. They make money without much advertisement through premium accounts and merch. Add to that YouTube.

If they don't want to shut down they won't be shut down I think.

Deleted member 26039 · Jan 13, 2021

Bummer seeing so many great people leave GB. Oh well, I'll be listening to the podcasts until it all ends.

Deleted member 44129 · Jan 13, 2021

xyla said:
I don't think that's gonna happen. They make money without much advertisement through premium accounts and merch. Add to that YouTube.

If they don't want to shut down they won't be shut down I think.

Let's hope not, but they've occasionally said things that make me wonder how they see the future of the site, what with the new owners buying them.

Agrizzlyadventure · Jan 13, 2021

These departures just really seem like abby and ben both outgrew the jobs they were in, and also there's zero prospect for advancement in the positions, so they enjoyed it for as long as they could and left. As much as being employed by giantbomb sounds like a dream job, it would probably be equally frustrating in terms of your life privacy and also feeling stuck in a rut since there is no position upwards to get promoted to. I get it and wish them the best, dont think we have anything to worry about with GB, im sure they will bring in some good talent to replace them.

Big-E · Jan 13, 2021

xyla said:
I don't think that's gonna happen. They make money without much advertisement through premium accounts and merch. Add to that YouTube.

If they don't want to shut down they won't be shut down I think.

The youtube money can't be good. They only have around 200k subscribers and looking at video view counts, their biggest video in a month was like 66k views and most are around 10k.

Musubi · Jan 13, 2021

Honestly, I bet Jan leaves within the next 6 months.

RecRoulette · Jan 13, 2021

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Please don't let GB die on its arse this year. I know it sounds melodramatic but I dont need that at the moment.

Been listening to GB for over a decade. It's part of my life, part of my routine.

Their subscription system allows them to make money without a middleman which is HUGE these days, much less back when they first rolled it out.

Giant Bomb will go as long as they want it to

Minky · Jan 13, 2021

Shiiiiet that's a big shame. I'll support GB to the very end though.

Androidsleeps · Jan 13, 2021

I dunno if they should combine both podcasts, the bombcast is mostly Jeff and Brad talking to each other, with Ben throwing a "joke" in sometimes. I like hearing what Jeff has to say but I much prefer the beastcast which feels like a proper podcast and has better energy. I do think they need some sort of update, a lot of their content has been lackluster and meh, which is a shame.

Jay_AD · Jan 13, 2021

Thing is, with such a job you get all the "living in the public eye and people I don't know prying into my private life and talking shit about me" of relative fame but without the "getting fuck off money" part. You're still just doing wage labour, like any other job. I get why that can be a shitty prospect in the long run, honestly.

And, you know, it's not just people on 4chan or Reddit or whatever. Every single Giant Bomb thread on this here forum had people shitting on Ben, guaranteed. Whether that was apropos the topic or not.

Gonna miss the lad. Always enjoyed his contributions.

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