The VGBees Podcast

Lotus & John discuss the lawsuit against Mr. Beast, Xbox Game Pass carving out Call of Duty, Playdate's interesting AI policy, and much more!
VGBees is 100% listener-supported. Join The Hive for bonus content, exclusive Discord access, and input on future content. https://vgbees.com/join
00:00:00 Intro
00:05:46 Mr. Beast sued by former employee
00:13:11 Ludum Dare to "end" in 2028
00:18:10 Playdate to block generative AI asset games; allow generative AI coded games
00:26:55 BAFTA Game Awards pulls trailer of "triggering" game
00:35:48 Sanrio & Toei both form game subsidiaries
00:39:39 Xbox carves out Call of Duty from Game Pass
00:50:17 Nintendo sued over tariff refund hoarding
00:54:49 Titanium Court is a feast for players looking for more substance in their roguelikes
01:02:20 Lotus went to a bunch of live sports events
01:14:05 Lotus went to Little Craft Fest 2026
01:25:00 Lotus & John answer your Hive Questions straight from the Discord
02:04:05 Outro
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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.

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Hi there! Lotus is still in space teaching the aliens about baseball (they like it!), while Niki and John are earthbound to discuss the week's biggest stories in games, including:
Disney lays off 1,000; Marvel visual effects gutted
Disney quietly delists games from Steam
Xenosaga Pied Piper, somehow, is coming to Switch and PC
Iron Galaxy lays off unknown number of staff
Jollibee x Final Fantasy XIV crossover event
Season 3 of Playdate is coming
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 creative lead is weird
Lana Del Rey is the 007 First Light songstress
Epic's HR lead also lost their job
Imagine Dragons' capture the flag game is out
Mouse: PI for Hire is unremarkable in every way that matters
Setting up a NAS in the endtimes
We answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from the Discord

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review! We'll read it on the show and it helps us out a lot.

Support us by joining The Hive!
This week, Lotus repaired the toilets aboard the Artemis II on its way safely (!!!!) back to Earth. Niki and John were grounded, however, and came together to discuss the biggest games news of the week. Here's the run of show:
Is Sid Meier the Ken Burns of video games?
The Pacers Couple is fine and good
Epic is in deep with Disney and making an extraction shooter
Pete Hines has choice words for Microsoft
State of Decay 3 didn't really exist when they released the reveal trailer
Glen Israel apocalyptically posts about Microsoft on LinkedIn
Doki Doki Literature Club removed from Google Play Store
Prove You're Human is the next game from the 1000xResist devs
Yoshihisa Kishimoto passes away at the age of 64
Marvel Rivals will apparently evolve from 6V6 PVP
Gunzilla, the new owner of Game Informer, accused not paying games salaries and contracts for months
Slay the Spire 2 took a while to beat, but it's been a blast
Niki's upcoming appearances on Astrogoblin
We answer your burning Hive Questions, like "what's a food that's better left out a while?"

Thanks so much for listening! Leave us a review and we'll read it on the show!
Note: we discuss three Microsoft stories this week. Microsoft continues to be a complicit player in the genocide happening in Gaza. Go to nogamesforgenocide.com to learn more about the BDS boycott and to make your own pledge.

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With Niki on board the Artemis II to fix their Outlook situation, Lotus and John tackle the news and games of the week, including:
Eidos-Montreal lays off 124 employees
Stellar Blade's Shift Up acquires Shinji Mikami's brand new studio
Stormgate loses online support because their server provider was bought by an AI company
US Patent Office rejects overbroad Nintendo patent
S&box, the follow-up to Garry's Mod, is out later this month
PSA: the Steam versions of some classic Capcom games contain DRM not found on other storefronts
The Gaming Historian retires from the channel
The Perfect Tower II exponentially expands the systems typically found in incremental games
Lucid Blocks has some charm, but maybe not the juice
Project Hail Mary is uneven but still made John cry
Alamo Drafthouse has completely ruined its value proposition
Summer House might be Bravo's most soulless show (that John can't stop watching)
Your Hive Questions are answered, including if ET would be better with legs

Thanks for listening! Leave us a review and we may read it on the show! Join The Hive!

Support us by joining The Hive!
This week, Lotus, Niki, and John contemplate Nintendo's strange (but maybe deliberate) choice to launch Animal Crossing's Switch 2 edition, Pokemon Pokopia, and Tomodachi Life in one tidy two month stretch. Also:
Epic lays off 1,000 due to Fortnite "underperforming"
OpenAI cans Sora and Disney exits investment
Alex from Street Fighter 6 married his adopted sister!
Nintendo to price digital and physical differently
PlayStation raising all hardware prices
Nintendo planning new Star Fox, Ocarina of Time remake, no 3D Mario in 2026
Wanderstop dev Ivy Road is shutting down
Funi Raccoon Game is Irish in surprising and delightful ways
Tomodachi Life's demo reminds us why the Wii era was so successful
Marathon might make it????
BLΛƆKPIИK has a new EP out!
We answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS from our lovely Discord

Thanks so much for listening! Leave us a review and we'll read it on the show!