Wait...what?

It seems GiantBomb is joining Gamespot, again.  When I heard this news, I believe I was as stunned as everyone else, and felt wary of such a move. How could Gerstmann do this after what happened back in 2007? How will GiantBomb maintain its independence? Will GiantBomb continue to be cool and reliable and accessible? These questions and more crossed my mind, but I think they were largely answered, and most of my suspicions put to rest, after watching Gerstmann's talk with CBS Interactive vice president of games programming John Davison. It seems GiantBomb was becoming huge, and needed a partner that could help it grow further. According to Gerstmann, who still respects the editorial board at Gamespot, CBS Interactive was the best partner for that. Check out his comments in the video below. The juicy stuff comes at around the 5-minute mark, when he addresses the issues behind his firing from Gamespot 5 years ago.




So, after watching, I'm more confident about the move. I like Jeff Gerstmann. He's a smart, insightful, articulate game critic who understands not only gamers, but also the business of games and game criticism. I don't think he would enter into a partnership like this if he felt it would go badly for himself and the other Giantbombers. I'm sure there will be some glitches along the way, but I think this is a good move for both GiantBomb and Gamespot. The Bombcrew can comfortably grow its site and influence, and Gamespot could, possibly, regain the respect it lost when Gerstmann left all those years ago.