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Layoffs happening at G4

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empathe

empathe

Member
Dec 20, 2020
35
I feel bad for the people that lost their jobs (doubly so for anyone who left a job to go there), but this was always going to happen. The network was relaunched by many of the same people that missed all of the shifts in the media landscape that led to its closure the first time. They were also there through all of the toxicity that was there before.

They also should have learned from Ninja's Mixer move that you can just bring in people that have an audience and necessarily get their followers to watch on a new channel/platform.

They should have learned from Venn's failure, which happens between G4's relaunch announcement and launch.

I'll also say, Frosk was completely right with her statement about the people in chat, but that toxicity is G4's vocal fanbase. I'll give some credit to the team that they wanted to do things a little differently in regards to their talent (behind the scenes, is a different story), but they also chose to bring back a problematic brand with a history of objectifying and sexualizing women. If they wanted a more inclusive, progressive network, doing it under the banner of G4 was completely misguided.
 
lunarworks

lunarworks

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,320
Toronto
It's unfortunate, but I didn't see how G4 could compete in a hyper-saturated and fickle streaming landscape where all it takes is a webcam to become a rising star. What's left of their previous audience was happy to see them back, but that's not enough to survive.
 
Flavius

Flavius

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,359
Orlando, FL
I'm an old fuck so probably not the best judge but conceptually at least, I didn't think it was a bad idea at all. At least to the extent I understood it. You take these personalities who have established audiences and match them up with others, making for some potentially interesting dynamics. The studio format lets you offload a lot of their responsibilities and just focus on content and interaction. Your reliance on scripted content is obviously substantially lessened.

Blair's no dummy, either.

For me, I just don't know if (1) I felt like they did a solid job of pulling in the fans from the old days, or (2) I just stopped giving a shit about G4 and I'm just content to let it be pleasant memories.

I don't watch streamers, so I didn't really know any of the new personalities brought in. Kevin and Adam really kind of dropped from the foreground, at least for me -- to the point I'd long since stopped following them. Nothing aside from the name itself really drew me in, and when I checked it out a handful of times, nothing grabbed me and I decided I wasn't actually their target demographic.

Someone joked above about Cinematech...that would have been friggin awesome. There are more independent games now than ever, it seems. Why no Game Makers/Icons? So many games are overlooked. That genuinely feels like a no-brainer. How did that not happen?

I genuinely hope they figure it out and as Kevin said, they're still working on it. Still sucks so many people lost their jobs. Hope they find their footing.
 
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B-Dubs

B-Dubs

That's some catch, that catch-22
General Manager
Oct 25, 2017
33,042
Something like G4 can work, they just need to be doing interesting stuff. I just noticed that I have the actual channel, it's all just the new X-Play. It's kinda interesting stuff, but they need to be able to do more with it.

The industry is old enough now that we can have legit documentaries and retrospectives and all that stuff you'd normally see CNN or whatever produce.

The big issue is, the way I see it, what do you put in between all that stuff? What does the filler stuff look like? There's only so much games news coming out every week and only so many documentaries and retrospectives and profiles and whatnot that you can do. Even if they start airing all sorts of e-sports stuff, they'll still need some filler shows to air when they don't have that stuff going.

It can work, it's just a matter of the guys in charge mapping it all out properly.
 
Fisty

Fisty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,365
Somebody was OD'ing on memberberries when they greenlit this relaunch

Also don't shill your NFTs on the programming
 
King Alamat

King Alamat

Member
Nov 22, 2017
8,146
B-Dubs said:
Something like G4 can work, they just need to be doing interesting stuff. I just noticed that I have the actual channel, it's all just the new X-Play. It's kinda interesting stuff, but they need to be able to do more with it.
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I'm pretty sure a couple of months ago, all the other shows split off into their own channels, reserving the original channel just for X-Play. I was wondering where AOTS and those live-play campaigns suddenly went.
 
B-Dubs

B-Dubs

That's some catch, that catch-22
General Manager
Oct 25, 2017
33,042
King Alamat said:
I'm pretty sure a couple of months ago, all the other shows split off into their own channels, reserving the original channel just for X-Play. I was wondering where AOTS and those live-play campaigns suddenly went.
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Wait, what the fuck? That's literally the opposite of what they should be doing.
 
Keldroc

Keldroc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,026
ZeoVGM said:
The way they've handled their content on YouTube has been poor.

They do well enough on Twitch but their YouTube strategy makes very little sense. Everything is kind of all over the place
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Doesn't help that the Youtube channel got brigaded constantly by the usual CHUDs after Frosk dared say that women are people.
 
ZeoVGM

ZeoVGM

Member
Oct 25, 2017
76,277
Providence, RI
Keldroc said:
Doesn't help that the Youtube channel got brigaded constantly by the usual CHUDs after Frosk dared say that women are people.
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That too. They became an alt-right target by channels like TheQuartering for months. They're a small group of people in the long term and had no impact on the network's success but they're quite loud on socials and harass Frosk and other G4 employees to this day. Nine months later. It's actually kind of frightening at times and is yet another reason why YouTube needs to crack down on alt-right hate videos.

A number of G4 employees were getting tweeted at by those losers yesterday with the the usual, "Frosk told us to stop watching and we did. Now look!"

They've deluded themselves into believing that they had an impact on G4's success/failure.
 
Curler

Curler

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,623
808s & Villainy said:
I forget exactly why, but they explained it was due to how Youtube's algorithm worked that that was somehow better
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Yeah, now they have:
G4TV
Attack of the Show
X-Play
Incognito Mode (Which is apparently a name change Name That Price's channel got for some reason)
All because YT's algorithm messes things up if you only watch 1 show or something :/ Real dumb, and the splintering off confuses things more. Also, the fact that they have a raw, uncut version of Vibe Check on one channel, and the tv, filtered broadcast version on another. It all gets real hard to follow :/
 
Lmwanderer

Lmwanderer

Member
Oct 27, 2017
130
Binghamton NY
I mean, they finally revived Arena. I've seen some others agree they would live Portal and Cinematech back. But seeing people mention documentaries. G4 used to Have Blister, Game Makers, Icons, Players, and Nerd Nation which all did just that. I feel like now even more than before they just can't tackle it as well as GameSpot or IGN due to staffing and format and it leaves me kinda sad. Still remember when X-Play went out to dig up the ET dump as a historical bit.
 
808s & Villainy

808s & Villainy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,895
Lmwanderer said:
I mean, they finally revived Arena. I've seen some others agree they would live Portal and Cinematech back. But seeing people mention documentaries. G4 used to Have Blister, Game Makers, Icons, Players, and Nerd Nation which all did just that. I feel like now even more than before they just can't tackle it as well as GameSpot or IGN due to staffing and format and it leaves me kinda sad. Still remember when X-Play went out to dig up the ET dump as a historical bit.
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What's sad seeing that list is knowing while those shows could come back in some capacity, Cheat couldn't because cheats in games largely aren't a thing anymore. Unless we're talking about AI exploits or glitches.

Also Adam Sessler on X-Play has done some long form, doc style videos like him going over the history of Halo. And Black Hokage going over the history of Def Jam Vendetta and interviewing David Banner who was involved in it
 
Lmwanderer

Lmwanderer

Member
Oct 27, 2017
130
Binghamton NY
I mean, cheat could. As Xbox Live and cheat banning became a major thing they started becoming more of a strategy show akin to magazines like tips and tricks did around the same time. It's not like g4 hasn't covered glitches before either in a similar capacity. I do wish the long-form stuff was more common. G4 used to have the talk show G4TV.com which was originally just getting a bunch of devs to talk about new and old games then doing call in segments.

Since X-Play and Attack of the Show are the channels pillars for Games and Pop-Culture I am still hoping they revive Fresh Gear or something Screen Savers like for tech and gadgets. Help give them a wider topic range too. Kinda surprised they haven't revived Web Soup or made Around the Net as its own thing either since they'd be fairly simple to work up. I also think a team up with Electric Playground again is a long shot despite deeply wishing for it. Being on the network YouToo until a year or two ago, they've gone fully digital now themselves.
 
Rikster

Rikster

Unshakable Resolve - One Winged Slayer
Member
Jun 24, 2018
2,080
California
Hope this peeps find new jobs soon. But I can't say I'm surprised, it just isn't the same.
 
Soapbox Killer

Soapbox Killer

Member
Oct 28, 2017
27,436
MV5BNmZlODdkNDItZTlkYy00YzIzLTg0NTItYmU3NWQ5OGE4ZmFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTgzNDY4Nw@@._V1_.jpg


Bring them back!




(or did they turn out to be scum bags,It was like 17years ago I can't remember?)
 
GuitarGuruu

GuitarGuruu

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,521
I loved the old G4 and I'm come to enjoy what the new G4 is too although it's not the same at all. Games really do take a backseat 100% and while I'm a fan of attack of the show it just seems so unhinged sometimes and lacking structure that it is kind of hard to watch for a 2-3 hour stream.

I love a lot of the new hosts they brought on like Jirard, Kasem, Will, and Gina but then they really shoved Adam and Kevin in a closet basically.

I hope the Network can succeed as they do definitely have a following, it's just taking time and maybe it's not the metrics the parent company expected. Wish them all the best.
 
Lmwanderer

Lmwanderer

Member
Oct 27, 2017
130
Binghamton NY
Well, Adam has reason he's been out. For HellofaMouse, as to staffing, all reports with numbers show 30-40 people now are gone out of 200 some total staff at the start along with the head of G4 who was out a couple of months ago when financial problems were first being disclosed internally. As to why there are so many people on staff, they were a studio set back up to create a wide range of content on par with their old network but with poor management and oversight have only a few shows and spinoff segments. GuitarGuruu is kind of right. It's a lack of structure.

For TV, they had concise shows with numerous smaller segments. The segments have all been getting spun off as their own content, but it leaves the shows with less to work with. And I just want a daily half an hour game review show. Don't mind more X-Play, but they're still missing some of their old heart.
 
DustyVonErich

DustyVonErich

Member
Oct 31, 2017
2,893
Kyle Cross said:
Well that's going to give the shit heads of the internet a boost. Way to go, company management.
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I would have been right here with you, but that "I survived" meme tweet kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It can be devastating to loss your job unexpectedly. Especially when you have a now former co-worker showing no condolences, but rather trying to own idiots. For what? It seemed selfish in that moment. The people that wanted you gone knew you were still there. Focus on raising the spirits on the ones who didn't survive, or publicity vouch for them for other companies to pick them up. Maybe I missed her doing that though. Sorry if I did.

I was laid off decades ago as a newer employee, and one thing I am still bugged by was a senior co-worker broad-smiling, bragging "I'm safe. The last in the door; the first one to leave!" while everyone else - even that one person you might not necessarily get along with lol - were offering sorrows, giving hugs, and exchanging contact information to help others find jobs quickly.

Frosk been targeted by assholes, but I really feel her tweet was in bad taste. It kind of reminded me of that. Be happy you survived at the time, but maybe have the decency to keep that excitement to yourself in that moment. It hurts others.
 
medyej

medyej

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,492
This is a bummer, I've been enjoying recent X-Play videos and even though it's a tough format I think they pulled off the remote Sessler + on set hosts really well.
 
ZeoVGM

ZeoVGM

Member
Oct 25, 2017
76,277
Providence, RI
Disappointed that it had to happen now but most people watching knew it was coming. He always said it was meant to be more of a 'passing the torch' situation.
 
AndrewGPK

AndrewGPK

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,831
My feeling is that most gamers game, use the internet for info/podcasts/message boards, watch others game on twitch/youtube.

I think G4's best bet is to just concentrate on a few shows, 3-5, and partner with one of the streaming services for those shows and focus the rest on youtube/twitch.
 
Fatal Nutritionist

Fatal Nutritionist

Alt-Account
Banned
Sep 18, 2022
634
i thought the G4 station was gone years ago, did they they come back some time in the recent past and then this is the result of that not doing well?
 
Gaiseric

Gaiseric

Member
Aug 4, 2019
188
DustyVonErich said:
I would have been right here with you, but that "I survived" meme tweet kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It can be devastating to loss your job unexpectedly. Especially when you have a now former co-worker showing no condolences, but rather trying to own idiots. For what? It seemed selfish in that moment. The people that wanted you gone knew you were still there. Focus on raising the spirits on the ones who didn't survive, or publicity vouch for them for other companies to pick them up.
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Really well said. I couldn't agree more.
 
Lukar

Lukar

Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 27, 2017
23,517
empathe

empathe

Member
Dec 20, 2020
35
Shona said:
Fuck man. She's been one of the best additions to the crew. Really disappointed to hear this.

Her speech from earlier this year should be required viewing for a lot of people.


View: https://youtu.be/V5SgBN_Qj2Q
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Her speech was 100% right but the people she's talking about predominantly make up the G4 audience.

G4's brand has always been pretty exploitative to women and mostly cishet white dudes behind the scenes making all the decisions.

Not sure what this incarnation of G4 exists for.
 
ZeoVGM

ZeoVGM

Member
Oct 25, 2017
76,277
Providence, RI
empathe said:
Her speech was 100% right but the people she's talking about predominantly make up the G4 audience.
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I don't think this is true. The angry reaction to Frosk was a loud minority of those who were watching the new G4.

Those people were already looking for a reason to be angry at the network because they were upset about it being more diverse from the start.
 
Kyle Cross

Kyle Cross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,481
DustyVonErich said:
I would have been right here with you, but that "I survived" meme tweet kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It can be devastating to loss your job unexpectedly. Especially when you have a now former co-worker showing no condolences, but rather trying to own idiots. For what? It seemed selfish in that moment. The people that wanted you gone knew you were still there. Focus on raising the spirits on the ones who didn't survive, or publicity vouch for them for other companies to pick them up. Maybe I missed her doing that though. Sorry if I did.

I was laid off decades ago as a newer employee, and one thing I am still bugged by was a senior co-worker broad-smiling, bragging "I'm safe. The last in the door; the first one to leave!" while everyone else - even that one person you might not necessarily get along with lol - were offering sorrows, giving hugs, and exchanging contact information to help others find jobs quickly.

Frosk been targeted by assholes, but I really feel her tweet was in bad taste. It kind of reminded me of that. Be happy you survived at the time, but maybe have the decency to keep that excitement to yourself in that moment. It hurts others.
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YuriLowell said:
Saying I Survived after a bunch of your coworkers got laid off is not very professional.
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Has any laid off G4 employee commented that they were upset by Frosk's tweet? Do we know that Frosk hasn't reached out and supported her former co-workers privately? Even if that were not the case she has faced endless harassment during her tenure at G4. Every single tweet she makes is filled to the brim with toxicity towards her, you can go check this yourself if you like. It is completely overwhelming. When the layoffs were announced it was being celebrated by the majority of the people who reply to her on Twitter, so she took a moment to prove them wrong.

And now those same people are twisting that tweet to justify their harassment, literally turning anything the person does in response to constant harassment against them, making their target appear to be the bad person. That's what these people do. To read that tweet as an insult towards former G4 staff instead of what it was is completely divorcing the context.

I've seen this so many damn times. Harassment targets have to just endure it with a smile or else they're treated as unprofessional or unhinged. "Be the bigger person." Is so easy to say when you haven't spent years of your life attacked.
 
TheDoctor

TheDoctor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,268
Fatal Nutritionist said:
i thought the G4 station was gone years ago, did they they come back some time in the recent past and then this is the result of that not doing well?
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G4 was brought back as an actual cable channel last November. It has an average viewership of 1000-2000 people during primetime.

Everything gets simulcasted to Twitch and YouTube, but that's not going to bring in the revenue to maintain 120 employees (or half of it).

It's a vanity project that will be around for as long as the parent company is willing to lose money on it.
 
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Kyle Cross

Kyle Cross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,481
Hercule said:
She lost all her credits after that "survive tweet". It was in extremely poor taste
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Bullshit. I already addressed this in my last post, this is completely divorcing the context of that tweet and why it happened as well as making up a narrative on her relationship with her former co-workers.

She lost all her credit of speaking out against sexism and receiving endless harassment because she made a joke tweet in response to sexist harassers celebrating G4's layoffs in her mentions because they thought she lost her job?

Say what you really mean instead of hiding behind "unprofessionalism" and saying it's poor taste against her former co-workers, who probably took no issue with that tweet cause they actually understand what she goes through.
 
FF Seraphim

FF Seraphim

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,827
Tokyo
Hercule said:
She lost all her credits after that "survive tweet". It was in extremely poor taste
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I wouldn't say poor taste considering the harassment aimed at her but really poor timing considering everyone was getting laid off. Perception is a thing people on twitter seem to forget actually matters. Got to think how people will view your posts.
 
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