The VGBees Podcast

Lotus, Niki, and John recovered from Summer Game Fest 2026 and reconvened (in home studios, not John's car) to discuss an extremely busy news week, including Xbox preparing major layoffs, Nintendo Direct revealing the Ocarina of Time remake, and more information dropping about Pokemon Go and its role in data gathering for defense purposes.
00:00:00 Intro & how waffle fries are made
Go to nogamesforgenocide.com to learn more about the BDS movement and Microsoft's continued role in the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
00:08:20 Asha Sharma writes memo to Xbox staff; heavy layoffs reported
00:25:00 Xbox console exclusives are returning
00:37:30 Lotus' 50 most anticipated indies from the week's showcases
00:40:10 Nintendo Direct reveals Ocarina of Time remake; is Nintendo bored?
00:47:10 Kingdom Hearts IV is here and looks like it looks
00:49:00 Final Fantasy Resonance strips the gacha out of mobile game inspiration
00:52:00 God of War Laufey creates an interesting branch for the series
00:55:37 How do waffle fries work? (part 2)
00:56:38 RGG wants to explore what Tupac's life could've been in Stranger Than Heaven
01:01:17 PlayerUnknown facing layoffs
01:03:56 RPG Maker forums shuttering and migrating
01:11:20 Team17 eliminating marketing department
01:13:24 Crazy Taxi reboot working with generative AI art flow
01:16:45 GOG sends out email with Nazi symbols in subject line
01:25:06 Ubisoft shutting down two studios
01:28:05 Pokemon Go likely being used to collect data for defense contracts
01:31:15 Blood Dungeon is Vampire Survivors in platformer mode
01:35:10 Onimusha: Way of the Sword is perfectly competent action combat from Capcom
01:40:18 John (almost) corrects the record on last week's Code Veronica misadventure
01:43:55 NBA The Run is a shallow facsimile of better arcade basketball games
01:46:20 Niki opens a Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes pack
01:50:45 Lotus went to Distant Worlds (the Final Fantasy concert) and did not have a great time
02:19:25 We answer your burning Hive Questions
02:44:06 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.

Join Niki and John from Los Angeles as they debrief from a lively Summer Game Fest 2026.
At this point, most embargoes were still in effect, but we hope you enjoy discussion regarding:
Blood Dungeon, Messhof's latest game
Sonic Pico Park
The Games Business interview with Matthew Ball
bad hotel fish tacos

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.

Folks, our schedules were so packed that John & Niki had to join Lotus from the car again. Sorry! This week, it's all about Summer Game Fest 2026 Showcase, which featured reveals of Resident Evil Veronica, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, and Tupac appearing in Stranger Than Heaven.
Time stamps and more SGF bonus episodes coming soon!
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.

John and Lotus are joined this week by Jeff Gerstmann to discuss the week's biggest games news, including: The Witcher 3's surprising expansion coming in 2027, Steam Deck's massive price hikes, and what we thought of 007 First Light.
00:00:00 Intro & podcasting at yourself
00:08:56 The Witcher 3 is getting new DLC in 2027
00:13:10 A moment for Unreal Engine 6
00:15:57 Ikaruga creator's next game has been canceled
Go to nogamesforgenocide.com to learn more about the BDS movement and Microsoft's continued role in the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
00:19:14 Microsoft must pay $250m to settle class action lawsuit
00:23:30 Modern Warfare 4 and the great Call of Duty fall-off
00:29:18 Fable delayed from fall 2026 to February 2027
00:38:30 Hoyoverse is investing $14.6b in AI initiatives in the next three years
00:42:20 Roblox and how to navigate its ubiquity as a parent
00:49:15 Steam Deck price hikes and the rare appreciation of gaming setups
00:57:13 Steam updates tags and Workshop features
01:14:44 TheGamer shifts to pay-per-click for its writers
01:24:32 The PlayStation 5 Pro is tall
01:27:01 007 First Light is a great Bond game even for people who aren't Bond superfans
01:38:32 Carrot Kingdom--not the Atari shareware--is a fun and very short puzzler
01:39:58 Panthalassa features a gorgeous underwater alien world
01:41:57 Phonopolis is the latest from Amanita Design
01:45:06 Mina the Hollower is Yacht Club's most interesting game
01:52:12 Pictonico is WarioWare for your phone...without the Wario
01:59:36 We answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our Discord
03:01:23 SGF 2026 plans & 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.

John, Lotus, and Niki discuss the biggest news of the week, including Embracer's head-scratching restructure, Destiny 2's final update, and PlayStation Plus price hikes.
00:00:00 Intro & Niki Buys a Porsche
00:09:50 Terraria celebrates 15 years of absolutely bonkers player counts
00:25:15 Tom Kane passes away at 64
00:26:41 PlayStation Plus gets price hikes
00:35:47 US National Recording Registry adds DOOM soundtrack to its library
00:44:28 Stig Asmussen Dungeons & Dragons game canceled by Wizards of the Coast
00:55:20 Embracer restructures their game organizations again
01:04:20 Quantic Dream's MOBA is shutting down
01:06:14 Bungie ending Destiny 2 development and facing layoffs
01:27:30 Everyone roasts John for buying a PS5 Pro
01:39:00 Niki continues to build a NAS for their home
01:51:28 The crew answers your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from Discord
03:04:15 Outro & SGF Plans
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.