Shows / The VGBees Podcast
The VGBees Podcast
Host and founder of VGBees, John Warren, is joined every week by cohosts Niki Grayson and Lotus for candid, funny, and enlightening conversations about the video games industry and video games medium (two very different things). 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…
Episodes
- The VGBees Podcast
It's Time For Wolf Girls w/ Michael Higham
This week, Niki and John are joined by none other than Michael Higham on this, the very special 69th episode of The VGBees Podcast. In this jam-packed episode…
- The VGBees Podcast
Borderlands: The Borderlands of Borderlands: Now With More Borderlands
This week, John regrets to inform you and Niki that Borderlands 4 is just more Borderlands, for better or worse. John thinks maybe worse. Niki's right, it's…
- The VGBees Podcast
Pokémon Dinkum
This week, Niki and John dive way way way into the mega-sized Nintendo Direct this week. Did you know that Super Mario is 40 years old??? Just like John! Wow!…
- The VGBees Podcast
Silksong Is And Always Was Coming Out
Hello! This week, John and Niki discuss the most explosive game release of the year, Hollow Knight: Silksong. 500,000 concurrents? Broken shops? Unfathomable…
- The VGBees Podcast
This Podcast Was Built In The Frostbite Engine
This week, John is back at full strength and here to discuss all the games Niki has played! Among the discussion points:Layoffs at Giant Squid & Rec…
- The VGBees Podcast
Stuck in a House, No Outside w/ Lotus
With John on the International Space Station, Niki and Lotus talk all things Gamescom 2025, including:Call of Duty: Black Ops 7Black Myth: Zhong KuiResident…
- The VGBees Podcast
1-900-GAMBLER w/ Lotus
This week, Niki and John are joined by Lotus, who has a lot of smart ideas about how messy the "reporting" around itch.io has gotten, frozen alcohol, and whole…
- The VGBees Podcast
Twelve Minutes, Not the Video Game
Niki and John had a great time talking about the Nintendo Indie World Showcase this week on the show right after they spent twelve minutes talking about a…
- The VGBees Podcast
Battlefield Now with More Battlefield
This week, John and Niki discuss the latter's big media day with Battlefield 6, the game that's aiming for 100,000,000 players! Do they think it can happen?…
- The VGBees Podcast
The Podcast with All the Answers
Hi there! This week, Niki and John went super long and recorded three solid hours of discussion, including:College Football 26Donkey Kong BananzaWhat if the…
- The VGBees Podcast
Donkey Kong Will Fix You
Niki's live from London, Ontario this week at Tennocon while John's getting up at the crack to podcast. What a show, too! We're absolutely loving Donkey Kong…
- The VGBees Podcast
The We Ate Too Much Hurtado BBQ Special
Niki is IN JOHN'S HOUSE this weekend. Wild stuff. They grabbed lunch at Hurtado BBQ and ate a truly irresponsible amount and then decided to podcast! Smart?…
- The VGBees Podcast
Big Head, Keg Torso, Can't Lose w/ Grant Stoner
On a very special public bonus of the show, John is joined by fellow disabled games media person Grant Stoner (IGN, Polygon, VGBees) to celebrate Disability…
- The VGBees Podcast
Beard Care At the End of the World w/ Garrett Martin
This week, Niki and John are joined by perhaps the greatest games media talent scout in the industry's history, Endless Mode's Editor-in-Chief Garrett Martin…
- The VGBees Podcast
The Miracle of Childbirth
This week, Niki and John go deep (again) on Mario Kart World and its most head-scratching design choices. Tired of us talking about that? Okay! We also talked…
- The VGBees Podcast
This Sense of Impending Doom Is an Xbox
John returns to the podcast after spending last week in the hospital and joins Niki to talk about the second full week of Switch 2 as well as:the indefinite…
- The VGBees Podcast
Gamifying HIPAA Violations w/ Lotus
This week, John was zooted in the hospital recovering from surgery (he's fine!), so Niki and Lotus took the reins and delivered a banger of an episode…
- The VGBees Podcast
Audio Poison: The VGBees SGF Mixer 2025
John broke his ankle in a car accident so couldn't make it out to SGF this year, so instead Niki attended the planned VGBees Mixer and we decided to set up a…
- The VGBees Podcast
There's An Ys In Here Somewhere
Niki and John are riding solo this week while we prepare for Summer Game Fest. Included in their hangout:Coverage expectations of Geoff's big showEA's…
- The VGBees Podcast
Randy's Looking Over Your Shoulder w/ Dan Ryckert
This week, Niki and John are joined by one fifth of the owners of Giant Bomb, the unfathomable Dan Ryckert! Yes, wrestling comes up. Yes, fast food brands are…
- The VGBees Podcast
Basic Bogging w/ Jenna Stoeber
Hello Hive! This week, Niki and John are joined by extremely talented and funny video essayist, streamer, and podcast host Jenna Stoeber! In addition to a…
- The VGBees Podcast
Conclave Elimination Chamber
This week, John and Niki ride as a duo to talk about the big American Pope. Also:big questions about how independent games outlets can survivekilling Avatar…
- The VGBees Podcast
Inside Blitzball w/ Jeff Gerstmann
This week, Niki and John were supremely lucky to have Jeff Gerstmann on the show to discuss the shocking sale of Polygon to Valnet (laying off the vast…
- The VGBees Podcast
French Robert Pattinson w/ Fūnk-é Joseph
This week, Niki and John are joined by game developer and former colleague (and current friend) Fūnk-é Joseph to discuss the Nintendo DS! That's it! That's…
- The VGBees Podcast
Possums in the Blueprints w/ Jessica Cogswell
This week, Niki and John are joined by the wonderful Jessica Cogswell of Gamespot dot com. We talk hot neighborhood gossip including a harrowing tale from Jess…
- The VGBees Podcast
Inquiries On Animes w/ Lotus
This week, John & Niki are joined by former Fanbyte colleague and current social media manager at System Era, Lotus! We started by getting caught up on…
- The VGBees Podcast
Trade War 2025 w/ Imran Khan
Only two short days after the announced details of the Nintendo Switch 2 and about twelve hours after we recorded this week's main VGBees Podcast episode…
- The VGBees Podcast
Bananza at Jungle Jim's w/ Charles Harte
In this supersized episode, John and Niki are joined by Game Informer Associate Producer Charles Harte to unpack the 60 minute Nintendo Direct for Switch 2 and…
- The VGBees Podcast
Galileo Galiwho w/ Ben Pack
This week, John and Niki are joined by the wonderful Ben Pack to discuss this week's fascinating, funny, and sometimes confusing Nintendo Direct!The strange…
- The VGBees Podcast
An Immigration Conversation with Abogada Kate
Texas, my home, has been a battleground over the soul of the American Dream as it pertains to immigrants from around the globe. I want to use whatever platform…
- The VGBees Podcast
The Draft Kings of Gaming w/ Tim Rogers
This week, Niki joins (for about half an hour) from the Fandom Chamber of Audio Recording in San Francisco to help John find a Lexus LS 400 he can buy. They're…
- The VGBees Podcast
Suing Yourself for Fun & Profit w/ Pat Gill
This week, Niki and John are joined by Polygon's Patrick Gill, who goes deep on why Monster Hunter Wilds is so good, his most recent video guide on the game…
- The VGBees Podcast
Jesus Underscore Christ with Andrea Shearon
This week, Niki and John are joined by former Fanbyte colleague and current PC Gamer writer Andrea Shearon! We had to ask our resident Final Fantasy XIV expert…
- The VGBees Podcast
Marketing Strategies for CEOs: A VGBees Masterclass w/ Michael Higham
This week, Niki and John are joined by bestie of the show Michael Higham to discuss cooking habits, the games we're playing, and the news of the week…
- The VGBees Podcast
The Saudis Own VGBees Now w/ Merritt K
This week, John and Niki are joined by the one and only Merritt K, one of the brilliant minds behind Fledgling Manor. The show starts, of course, with the most…
- The VGBees Podcast
Not About Divorce and Being Mean to Your Kid
This week, John asks Niki all about Split Fiction, the follow-up to award-winning It Takes Two. It is another one of those, for better or worse (mostly…
- The VGBees Podcast
John & Niki: True iicons
This week, John and Niki discuss what it would take to get them to attend the new ESA-fronted conference called iicon starting next April in Las Vegas. It's…
- The VGBees Podcast
Emergency Basketball Podcast: The Luka Doncic Trade
The entire sports world was shocked when 5-time All-NBA 1st Teamer and 25 year old megastar Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for a Randy's…
- The VGBees Podcast
It's Hard to Let Go
This week, Niki and John dive into the news that BioWare is downsizing and outsourcing part of Mass Effect 5's development. More than that, it strikes our…
- The VGBees Podcast
Boy the Musical
This week, Niki and John take in the most recent Xbox Direct showcase and dive into each game discussed, including:Ninja Gaiden 4South of MidnightExpedition…
- The VGBees Podcast
Mario Kart 2
This week, Niki and John discuss the biggest story in games. That's right, it's the MegaByte Nation Gaming Expo from Los Angeles, CA! What are Game Hogs up to?…
- The VGBees Podcast
All the Ingredients for a Speedrun
This week, Niki is laying low to escape the horrible fires facing Los Angeles. John runs solo, discussing the games news of the week, including:Nintendo Switch…
- The VGBees Podcast
Why Don't These Games Make Me Cry?
This week, Niki and John both shake off their respective Holiday illnesses to come together for the first episode of 2025! They reflect on what they might have…
- The VGBees Podcast
The VGBees 2024 Games of the Year
It is that time of year! VGBees has awarded its official (well John and Niki's) Games of the Year 2024! We had two overlaps, so we cover eight total games and…
- The VGBees Podcast
Brick & Jack: Football Geniuses
Niki and John go through a whirlwind of big games news this week, including the revelation that Woody Johnson is steering New York Jets personnel decisions…
- The VGBees Podcast
The Game Awards 2024 Postmortem
This week, Niki worked an entire human day within the span of two human days to work Gamespot/Giant Bomb's TGA coverage and lived (thrived!) to tell about it…
- The VGBees Podcast
99 Potions: Dragon Age: The Veilguard
HARK! An early holiday gift from VGBees is upon us!We have reunited Nerium, Natalie Flores, and Michael Higham to unpack Dragon Age: The Veilguard in the style…
- The VGBees Podcast
They're Coming Through the Walls
This week, Niki calls in from the cartoon construction zone that is their house this week. That didn't stop Niki and John from talking about this week's video…
- The VGBees Podcast
Mazda Bongo Brawny
It's a Thanksgiving Week miracle! Niki and John recorded a podcast early in the week so they could take the rest of the week off! Wow! What foresight!Sure…
- The VGBees Podcast
Time to Woman
This week, Niki presents John with a long dissection of Days Gone, not even remotely a new video game. Still, it is welcome information which it is a game both…
- The VGBees Podcast
International House of Podcasts
This week, Niki is back and with them comes the revelation that Xbox has gone and found itself an official breakfast partner. That's right IHOP is the official…
- The VGBees Podcast
Well Okay, Now What?
This week, Niki is on vacation and John is left to his own devices. After planning a 99 Potions reunion to discuss Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the Election…
- The VGBees Podcast
An NFT Game Most Timely
This week, Niki and John explore the world of Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chornicles, an Ubisoft-published video game that wants you to shell out a…
- The VGBees Podcast
Call of Duty: Pandemic Surprise
This week, Niki and John could not for the life of them remember the names of the peak Covid Call of Duty games, so they leaned into it for content. Gotta find…
- The VGBees Podcast
Frank Underwood's Blindfire
On this weeks' show, Niki and John go DEEP on the new NBA 2K25 DLC Gravity Ball. What does it mean for the franchise, its audience, and new players? Hope you…
- The VGBees Podcast
The Alarm Clock for Single People with Michael Higham
Editor's note: this week's episode contains an incredulous collective unpacking of an explosive investigative report about Roblox which goes into the many ways…
- The VGBees Podcast
This is My Cat, Sephiroth
This week, Niki goes deep on Starfield's DLC, Shattered Space. It's about the snake people, the most interesting part of the original Starfield. Does the DLC…
- The VGBees Podcast
Human Arrowing Your Way to Enlightenment
This week, Niki and John discuss their favorites so far in the year's most astonishing release, UFO 50. What's your favorite from the collection? Also:Ghost of…
- The VGBees Podcast
Paul Rudd's SNES Gun
Nintendo decided to sue Palworld this week so Niki and John would have something to really dig into. Thanks, Nintendo!!!!!!!Also this week:Switch 2 possibly…
- The VGBees Podcast
How to Explain the Junction System to Your Zoomer
This week, John breaks the news of Annapurna Interactive's staff resignation to Niki. They also break down the PlayStation 5 Pro reveal and talk about the 650…