Alex Navarro, Brad Shoemaker, and Vinny Caravella have announced that they are leaving Giant Bomb. The announcement was made during a live recording of Giant Bomb’s podcast, where the trio confirmed that May 7 will be their last day at the company.
Giant Bomb was established by former members of GameSpot and, alongside Jeff Gerstmann (who will remain at the site) and Ryan Davis, Brad and Vinny were founding members of the website. Alex, who worked alongside the others at GameSpot, joined sometime later, having initially founded Screened, a website dedicated to movies and TV.
in case you didn’t happen to tune into this week’s Bombcast, I should probably say publicly that I have given my notice, and this Friday will be my last day @giantbomb. It’s been an incredible 10 years, but I made the difficult decision that it was time to move on.
— Yeet Takeshi (@alex_navarro) May 4, 2021
This Friday will be my last day with Giant Bomb as per the announcement on the Bombcast today. I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished over the years and so thankful for everyone that has been a positive part of it. It has shaped who I am.
— Vincent Caravella (@VinnyCaravella) May 4, 2021
Today was my last episode of the Giant Bombcast. Friday is my last day with the company. After spending a third of my life helping to build this thing, it’s tough to make my fingers even type that out. (Seriously, what?)
— Brad Shoemaker (@bradshoemaker) May 4, 2021
In a statement, Giant Bomb founder Gerstmann said: “I’ve spent a lot of the last year thinking about what’s next for Giant Bomb and most of those roads lead to a full-on rethink of what it means to be a Website About Video Games in 2021. While I certainly would have loved to solve these challenges with my longtime friends and coworkers by my side, it just wasn’t meant to be. I wish Vinny, Alex, and Brad the best. Meanwhile, we have a pretty exciting opportunity to broaden our horizons, rethink every facet of our operation, and get to a place where we’re truly able to build that bomb all over again… or die trying.”
Speaking to the future of the site, the Giant Bomb team as a whole said: “There is a collective vision for what the future of Giant Bomb is and it involves both familiar and new faces. We’re already in talks with creators so that we can begin the next chapter. We’re fully aware that this marks a big change and we’re using this as an opportunity to rethink what this site is. It’s a chance to introduce new personalities from different backgrounds and explore categories and topics that we never have before.”
The news, unsurprisingly, has sent a ripple around the games industry–Giant Bomb as a website and the team that makes it up is beloved by many. The site was a driving force behind personality-driven content and also, in many ways, led by example when it came to interesting and experimental video content. Of course, the Giant Bombcast is a towering landmark in the world of video game podcasts and continues to be. All three departing members have been mainstays on all Giant Bomb’s content, whether on editorial, video, or audio.
Like every member of the Giant Bomb team past and present, the trio lived much of their lives on camera and, as a result, many developed a close connection to them. News of their departure has resulted in an outpouring of support on Twitter from fans, developers, former staff members, and other members of media.
During the podcast where the departures were announced, Jeff said that those who are premium subscribers on Giant Bomb will have their membership extended through May, as the remaining members take the time to rethink some content and implement new ideas. Recently, longtime CNET staff member and Giant Beastcast co-host Jeff Bakalar joined the games team to work closely with Giant Bomb and GameSpot. In his new position, he is leading content strategy and development, as well as partnerships.
Disclosure: Giant Bomb is a sister site to GameSpot operating under the same parent company, Red Ventures.
