In October of 2022, popular personality-led gaming site Giant Bomb was bought by Fandom, the multi-headed wiki-hosting hydra, at the same time as Fandom acquired GameSpot, Metacritic, and GameFAQs. Conflict between Fandom and the opiniated editors of Giant Bomb arose this year when the publication of new content was put on hold as part of a “strategic reset and realignment” of Fandom’s brands.
Subsequently, an episode of Giant Bomb’s podcast in which the hosts made fun of Fandom’s brand safety concerns was taken down, and several senior members of the site’s staff announced they wouldn’t be working for Giant Bomb any more.
An unexpected reversal of fortunes was announced at PAX East, where during a Giant Bomb panel it was revealed that Fandom had sold Giant Bomb to two of its staff, Jeff Bakalar and Jeff Grubb, who will be running it as an independent operation from now on. As Bakalar and Grubb put it in a joint statement, “Giant Bomb is now owned by the people who make Giant Bomb, and it would not have been possible without the speedy efforts of Fandom and our mutual agreement on what’s best for fans and creators.”
As Fandom’s own statement explained, “Fandom has made the strategic decision to transition Giant Bomb back to its independent roots and the brand has been acquired by longtime staff and content creators, Jeff Bakalar and Jeff Grubb, who will now own and operate the site independently.”
During the PAX East panel, it was made clear that Bakalar and Grubb will keep the site’s archives and will run the site independently, with funding coming via subscriptions and merch sales.
