G4 Canceling All Gaming-Related Shows

[David]

X-Play logo.

Earlier today, G4 released an official statement announcing that it will be ending all remaining gaming-related programming with the conclusion of 2012. Remaining shows such as X-Play and Attack of the Show are among those canceled.

The official statement posted on G4's site...

G4's two longest-running and defining series, Attack of the Show! and X-Play, will be ending their run at the end of 2012. Both shows will include original episodes through the end of the year, and will look back at theirmost memorable moments as we lead up to their final episodes. A rotating lineup of guest co-hosts including John Barrowman, Michael Ian Black, Josh Myers, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and Horatio Sanz will join AOTS hosts Candace Bailey and Sara Underwood, and X-Play hosts Morgan Webb and Blair Herter as part of the farewell shows.

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.

Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn of AotS.

Both long-running shows helped define, as well as expand, the pop culture and gaming TV experience for a generation. We hope you've had as much fun watching them as we have had making them, and sincerely hope you join us in bidding a fond farewell to Attack of the Show and X-Play's as we look back over the next two months and head towards each series' finale.

The announcement is following the notable departures of hosts such as Adam Sessler (X-Play) and Kevin Pereira (Attack of the Show), which hinted at the impending changes.

This marks the end of the channel pretending to focus on technology and video gaming. The recent era of G4 featured nothing other than 22-hour marathons of Ninja Warrior, Cops, or Star Trek inbetween episodes of X-Play and Attack of the Show. Rumors suggest that the channel's new rebranding will result in "Esquire" or "GQ" esque content; NBC Universal was previously reported to be in the process of converting it to a lifestyle network focused on the modern male.

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[Jake]

I'd bet the reason they're doing this is because they know they can't keep up with sites like Gameinformer and IGN.It's still a shame, though, turning into another MTV.

[Blake]

Yeah really is a shame. Used to watch both shows extensively when I was younger. Stopped watching because of the crap they filled the time slots with and the fact X Play and Attack of the Show was coming on less and less.Still, was a good run for them.

[Nathan]

That sucks. Its strange that when I initially posted about that they said they were going to still stick to their roots and try and do the same stuff but in a different way, that was obviously bullshit though.

[Jake]

What really stinks is that a few years ago, when they still showed mainly gaming stuff, my basic HD cable package didn't have the channel. Eventually, it was included, but by that time, most of the time slots were filled with crap, so I never really even watched the channel that much.