Giant Bomb Returns to Independence: Gaming Website Purchased by Former Staff

Popular gaming website Giant Bomb has become independent again after its longtime staff, Jeff Grubb and Jeff Bakalar, purchased the company from Fandom.

The announcement came on May 11, 2025, during the PAX East gaming convention.

Founded in 2008 by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis, Giant Bomb built its reputation on personality-driven content that focuses more on fun, authentic gaming commentary rather than business reporting. The website hosts video game reviews, news, videos, and the popular Giant Bombcast podcast.

The site has changed ownership several times over the years. It began as part of Whiskey Media before being acquired by CBS Interactive in 2012. Later, Red Ventures purchased it in 2020, followed by Fandom in 2022.

Recent months have been difficult for Giant Bomb under Fandom's ownership. The site underwent a strategic reset that caused several staff members to leave. Jeff Grubb, Dan Ryckert, and contributor Mike Minotti all departed after disagreements over new content guidelines that they found too restrictive.

The situation worsened in April 2025 when livestreaming was temporarily paused. The 888th episode of the Giant Bombcast was even removed for making fun of Fandom's "brand safety" rules.

The new ownership represents a return to Giant Bomb's roots. Along with Grubb and Bakalar as the new owners, Jan Ochoa, Mike Minotti, and Dan Ryckert will remain part of the team. This move has been celebrated by fans on social media as a victory for independent games journalism.

"We don't work for a corporation anymore, we work for you," states the official announcement from Giant Bomb. "We're not serving an algorithm or executives, we're serving you, the audience. We want to lean into what's always made Giant Bomb special."

The new Giant Bomb will operate on a subscription model with most content available for free. Premium subscribers will pay either $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually for perks like ad-free podcast feeds and access to premium Discord channels.

The team emphasized that all financial support will "go directly towards maintaining and growing Giant Bomb and paying the fine folks that you see on our programming week after week."

Fans have responded enthusiastically to the news, with many expressing their intention to subscribe to support the newly independent venture. "Been with Giant Bomb since the Whiskey Media days. This feels like 2008 all over again. Pumped for what's next!" wrote one longtime follower on social media.

The website will continue to offer its user-editable video game database, forums, and popular content formats like Quick Looks, with a renewed focus on community engagement.