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 back on December 18thThe average games industry salary is $142,000 but please do not believe thatThey gave Samus Aran a shitty little sidekick in Metroid Prime 4Also, John & Lotus played:The Meow Wolf Grapevine missing kid ARGDreamfather Loves YouThe Good Old DaysSkies of Arcadia LegendsWe, of course, answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord.
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2:45:41
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2:45:41
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 Hydra has been delayedConcord is fodder for UK House of Commons debateSquare Enix lays off over 100Square Enix wishes to move 70% of QA and debugging to generative AIUnbeatable delayed at the finish lineThis week, the crew played:The Outer Worlds 2KinophobiaSettlemoonPokémon Legends Z-AMarvel SnapAlso, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord.
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2:53:11
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2:53:11
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 learned the tradeJoe's feelings on the GoPro 10Joe's origins on the webJoe's stance on drive-thru AI botsand much, much moreIf you like bonuses like this, please tell your friends to JOIN THE HIVE.
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1:31:47
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1:31:47
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: Art of VengeanceOnce Upon a KATAMARIPlus, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord.
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2:34:55
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2:34:55
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 from our lovely (free!) Discord.
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!
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