Giant Bomb | Brad Shoemaker, Vinny Caravella, & Alex Navarro Leaving

Brad Shoemaker, Vinny Caravella, and Alex Navarro announced today via the Giant Bombcast on Twitch, that they are leaving Giant Bomb. This Bombcast was their final podcast and their last day will be Friday, 5/7/21. This one hits hard, folks.

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

I have been a fan of Giant Bomb since even before, day one. Look through my Video Game archives and you’ll find posts littered with Giant Bomb links. Back when I first bought my iPod Video, I looked for podcasts about video games; GameSpot’s The HotSpot was one I latched onto because of great chemistry and personalities. I lived through my world falling apart when Jeff Gerstmann was fired due to the infamous Kane & Lynch review score situation. I followed Ryan Davis’ (RIP) Arrow Pointing Down and jumped for joy with the How To Build A Bomb episodes during the creation of Giant Bomb. I was there through the rise and fall of Whiskey Media, the acquisitions, the new hires, and departures. Do I finish this thought with It was a hell of a run?

For years, I had never missed an episode of the Bombcast. I would spend hours on the forums or updating video game wiki. I have to admit, that the last few years I haven’t watched or listened as obsessively as I had back then, but this news still breaks my heart.

The news of Alex, Brad, and Vinny leaving leaves me both sad and excited for the future of Giant Bomb.

I’ve had the dream of working for Giant Bomb since they started. Jeff Gerstmann is staying, and in a statement to GameSpot spoke about the future that involves new faces.

“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.”

Jeff Gerstmann

We'll have some stuff to say about where Giant Bomb goes from here a little later this week or next. Kind of a lot going on over here right now!

— Jeff Gerstmann (@jeffgerstmann) May 4, 2021

There’s probably much more to say about this, but honestly, I’m still in shock. I’m feeling like the next few weeks will be filled with digging through the video archives. Maybe it’s time to finally watch the entirety of the Persona 4 Endurance Run. I can’t help but quote the great Ryan Davis with “China Don’t Care”.