RIP Polygon and Giant Bomb

On a very special (for bad reasons) episode of Aftermath Hours, Nathan, Riley, Chris, and Luke convene to mourn the apparent – and horrifyingly sudden – passing of two games media institutions: Polygon and Giant Bomb. None of this was, strictly speaking, necessary, with the former an unqualified success in terms of traffic and regard while the latter boasted a dedicated audience drawn to its unique mix of personalities. But of course, execs decided to gut both – on the same day, no less – and now we’re left wondering what comes next. Independent, worker-owned sites like ours hope to pave a path toward a better future, but that will take a lot of time, and many excellent writers are out of work right now. Then, in less soul-crushing news, we discuss this year’s latest surprise hit, extremely French RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which absolutely rules. Finally, we wrap up with the longest mailbag in the show’s history, so get comfortable! Credits- Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, Chris Person, & Luke Plunkett- Podcast Production & Ads: Multitude- Subscribe to Aftermath!About The ShowAftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.