You've heard the news. Comic Vine and Giant Bomb have become part of CBS Interactive. This is great news for us. This is going to make this great site even greater. When we first started out, it was me, Dave and Ethan. Just three dudes running the site. Then Whiskey Media formed and we became part of that family. This is just another step up.
I am still the Editor-in-Chief. Sara and I have already been talking and we're making plans to give you guys even more of what you love. We will now have more resources to do what we love doing.
I saw a few of the comments in the thread on the forums. Let me just reassure you guys this is going to be a great new chapter for us.
If you missed the original announcement when we livestreamed from Dave's house, you can check out out here. While most of the talk dealt with Giant Bomb, the message is the same. We're not changing. No one is coming in and telling us what we need to do or change. We will just have a new space to work in. And again, this isn't the first time Comic Vine has moved.
== TEASER ==For subscribers, you aren't losing anything. Sara and I have already started talking about new ideas so stay tuned as we get settled in here. Dave also posted a message that I will copy and paste below. Pretty much all your questions should be answered. He will update over there if anything new comes up.
Psst... Big changes happening at Whiskey Media. Don't panic. The answer to most of your questions are likely below. This isn't a goodbye post or a hey, thanks for joining us on this awesome journey, but we're outta here fabrication. It's a general trumpet call to let you know that we're working with two separate companies to build even bigger sites. For those of us at Whiskey, that means we'll spend all of about a weekend celebrating before we jump back to our jobs of building, creating and making you laugh. We'll make sure to keep you in the loop along the way.
Two companies?
Yes. We wanted to make sure our separate brands and employees ended up with companies that best fit their strengths. Here's the scoop...
Giant Bomb and Comic Vine are now in the same family as GameSpot and GameFAQs. The entire editorial teams from those sites are coming over, as is Dave. This marks a reunion of sorts as we’ll get to work with our friends over at GameSpot again. Giant Bomb will continue to operate as its own unique site.
Tested and Screened, along with all other things Whiskey Media are being acquired by BermanBraun. They've got big plans too, as you've likely seen on Tested already. Andy and his TOP MEN (our engineering team) are going to be busy building a whole slew of new sites that carry our mark of community first philosophies.
I'm a premium member, what does this mean for me?
Nothing for the moment. Your services continue as normal across all of the Whiskey sites as well as on Roku, Boxee, iTunes... etc. On April 15th we will migrate the billing for premium memberships to Giant Bomb and Comic Vine so that we can separate them from Whiskey Media proper. Don't worry, features on the other sites will continue to work, as will your username as passwords, but you will only billed by Giant Bomb. No split billing will occur.
We made this decision based on the fact that 98 percent of our subscriptions originated with Giant Bomb and the vast majority of our premium content has focused on that site. However, we also recognize our users have their own ideas about the value of their premium plan so we wanted to make sure you had a full month to sit with these details and use the same billing tools you're used to using. It is very important to us that we don't sucker punch anyone and that you can cancel your plans easily at any time.
Got all that? OK, well there’s more. Those members that do stick around past April 15th will immediately receive GameSpot Total Access memberships for free as a thank you for continuing to support Giant Bomb and Comic Vine. These will be distributed through email as a gift code, so their redemption is optional.
We'll also send out a general email as well as other announcements before April 15th so you're not left with any surprises.
What about the Whiskey Media store and my coupons?
They will continue to be valid. You can use them now, or at anytime. The store isn't going anywhere.
What about my wiki points?
Your points will continue as normal. Past April 15th your combined Whiskey points will be used for your submissions across all our sites. But any points earned after that date will only increase your total on the specific site you earn them on.
Hey, this has me worried. I've seen others sites get purchased and become
pretty crappy. What makes this different?
It's a valid concern. But if you've made it this far (let's be honest, some of you have been supportive of us for years) you know that beyond the logos on our sites are a group of people who have committed their lives to building a better Internet. Our sites will continue to thrive because quite honestly, it's what keeps a lot of us going every day. And as hokey as it may sound, we want to continue having an audience that trusts us as stewards of our respective expertise.
Continue to keep us on our toes. Now let's start building.
I have more questions!
I (Dave) will be around personally to answer all questions late tonight and throughout the weekend either on this thread or through twitter (@enemykite). As you'd imagine it's a busy day and I've still got to run to the city this afternoon to meet some peeps so thanks ahead of time for being patient as I go through your questions later today.
And just a note, we will not have a podcast this week. Sara and I will be down in Anaheim at WonderCon. If you're there, keep an eye out for us!