Rumored to be in the midst of a makeover towards trendy and chic, G4′s dissolution of video-game television has reached its final stage.
Shortly following the departures of respective longtime hosts Adam Sessler and Kevin Pereira, X-Play and Attack of the Show – programs seen as the final vanguards of gaming and technology coverage on the network – have now been cancelled.
As they often do, traces of impending big news appeared on Twitter earlier this morning when G4 staff members, like AOTS host Candace Bailey, had their feeds take a turn for the foreboding and sentimental:
Today is gonna be an interesting day…
— Candace Bailey (@CandaceBailey5) October 26, 2012
I’m so fortunate to work with the people I work with everyday. #g4tv #aots
— Candace Bailey (@CandaceBailey5) October 26, 2012
Soon thereafter G4 made things final. Releasing an official statement through its website, the network has announced plans today to end X-Play and Attack of the Show at conclusion of the 2012. As their final episodes draw near, both programs plan to rotate in a cavalcade of celebrity guest stars to serve as co-hosts, looking back on favorite moments and easing the final farewells. Here’s part of the obituary – whether it’s for the two shows or all of G4 at this point, we’ll let you be the judge:
With well over a thousand episodes each, Attack of the Show! and X-Play have defined gamer culture for a generation, serving as the launch pad for prominent personalities including Kevin Pereira, Olivia Munn, Chris Hardwick and Adam Sessler. Attack of the Show! debuted March 28, 2005 and from the start was the ultimate guide to everything cool and new in the world of technology, web culture, gaming and pop culture. X-Play made its debut almost two years earlier, on April 28, 2003 (on G4’s previous incarnation: TechTV), and immediately became the go-to destination for young men seeking the latest video game news, honest reviews, hands-on demos and exclusive video game trailers and footage. The year-end celebration will take you back through highlights of these landmark shows’ history, including its exclusive live-from-the-floor coverage of San Diego Comic-Con and E3.
While the news is hardly a shock – geek and gamer culture, the network’s supposed staples, have been in decline long before Sessler’s and Pereira’s exits – it now, sadly, leaves an uncertain fate for the talent behind both shows on both sides of the camera. Some have no doubt been around since day one – X-Play having its inception in 2003 when G4 was known as TechTV, Attack of the Show making its first run in 2005 – where others were likely just beginning their induction into the network’s milieu.
Seemingly aware of the announcement’s sour nature, the aforementioned G4 departed were quick with their best wishes:
My thoughts are with my friends at G4.Best wishes and all the confidence your talents will carry you.
— Adam Sessler (@AdamSessler) October 26, 2012
I’ll just get this out of the way: I have no comment, for now. #BestWishes
— Kevin Pereira (@kpereira) October 26, 2012
The greater issue, of course, becomes what’s next for G4 with the cabler now devoid of original programming. As revealed back in September, parent company NBC Universal hopes to rebrand (and possibly rename) the network in early 2013 into a “modern male”-centric media outlet reflective of GQ Magazine. We have to wonder if gaming wouldn’t still make an appearance from time to time, but only within the broader context of the average 18-34 target-male audience’s lifestyle. In any case, though, there’s no question that the network founded as TechTV in 2002 is cleaning house for a major facelift. So cherish those Cheaters and COPS marathons; they’ll likely be gone, too.
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Follow me on Twitter @Brian_Sipple.
Source: G4
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And nothing of value was lost.
is it just me or has G4 turned to s***…?
Was it ever something else?
Final nail in the coffin for G4tv.
Now instead of the show list being
Cops
Cops
Cops
Cops
Xplay
Attack of the show
Cops
Cops
Cops
It will be
Cops
Cops
Cops
Cops
Cops
Cops
Cops
Cops
who ever ran g4tv in the gorund should be fired and sued for being terrible people.
You forgot Cheaters.
I hate Neal Tiles.
I mentally canceled these shows years ago.
I hate that people only remember G4 for X-Play and AOTS.
Does no one remember G4 before the TechTV merger? Cheat, Cinematech, G4TV.com, Arena, Filter, Pulse, Sweat, Icons. These shows added to my love of gaming as a kid, and it’s a damn shame that the death of G4 only resonates with some as the cancellation of the two remaining “geek” shows.
Both channels essentially died when the merger happened. There was something cool every now and then, but it really went into a nosedive at that point.
we do! My point is Xplay and attack of the show was the only shows worth watching they had left. With that gone G4 tv is officailly wasted channel space.
I hate that they want it to be spike tv 2. It needs to go back to what use to make it great. It needs more video game shows. It needs more pop culture geeky and nerdy friendly shows! Not A everyday marathon of cops!
i forget what it was called but dont forget the show that told us the history behind a specific game or iconic person in the gaming industry. i learned so much about miyamoto from that
amen IAN, i used to watch all those shows, Arena was the s***. Icons gave gaming its heritage. I remembered when Electric Playground was a show Kevin was on so many shows before AOTS. The TV in G4TV died when 2 hours of the entire day was devoted to videogames. Now its mostly cops,cheaters, heroes which have no business being on “VIDEOGAME TV NETWORK.” Its gotten so bad that i have to call my satellite provider to have them install G4.
Does anyone even know what kind of TV programming a GQ magazine themed network would have? I can only speculate- censored episodes of Entourage, and a show about classy suits?
Lame, I liked Tech TV, G4 was okay, from the sounds of it, it looks like they’re trying to turn G4 into Spike TV…. Which does nothing but replay Star Wars over and over and over and over again. -.- *sighs*
And why would anyone watch G4 aside from AOTS or X play.
Well on a good note I was only going to miss 4 shows when I canceled my cable, now I will only be missing two.
I just hope the viral video show on syfy channel is good. it does have Kevin pereira and Adam sessler
There’s really no reason to even watch G4 anymore. All they really play is COPS re-runs and COPS knock-offs.
lol @ campus pd… THATS MY BICYCLETTA!!!!!!!!
I used to love G4 when it was TechTV. But it turned into nothing but Cops and Cheaters marathons. X-Play went from watchable to turning into a Halo suckfest every week while Attack of the Show stopped being interesting when Kevin Pereira left the show. Now when the network gets a “facelift” in 2013, it’s probably just going to be Cheaters and Cops on all day (nothing new there) with nothing worth watching at all.