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Axed: Good Game

Long running game review show ends at 10 years after presenters opt to move on.

ABC’s long-running video game showcase Good Game has been axed after both presenters advised they were moving on.

Management has decided to discontinue the series, ending a 10 year run for the show.

The news will come as a shock to the fan’s loyal audience who had afforded the show cult status, and stuck with it despite a controversial cast change in 2009.

Co-host Steven O’Donnell last year told TV Tonight, “They may not be the biggest audience but they are very passionate.

“We’re creating a highly-produced, detailed review and culture show about games.

“So our strength is the detail and it’s why some stories take a couple of weeks. Sometimes our reviews will be two weeks late purely because it takes time to play the games and we can’t get them up ‘on the day.’

“But we hope people watch us for the personalities and the stories we produce.”

O’Donnell has indicated he will continue with Spawn Point and the ABC, for which he will also appear in an upcoming comedy.

14 Responses

  1. Dismayed about this decision. Because two presenters left it doesn’t mean it should be sacked, the show could easily go on. It was one of ABC2’s flagship programs and it had a solid amount of fans.

    Be interesting to see what Steph/Hex will do outside of this, she was a real find.

  2. Absolutely short sighted and stupid decision by the ABC. Yes the audience wasnt huge but this was a great Australian production by the ABC. Well produced with a dedicated audienceand popular on IView, i just cant fathom how they decided to cancel it. ABC2 is already a dismal dumping ground of foreign tv shows and repeats of ABC1 shows. They will probably replace Good Game with another Louis Theroux program! Sad days for the crew sending them love.

  3. would be leaving to pursue “other opportunities”…..honestly, the ABC uses this for everything that is shut down…doing the same on their radio shows…like it is the presenter that wants out…I for one, do not believe a word of it….just me…but I do not like what is happening to ‘Our’ ABC..

  4. Steven O’Donnell has posted on his website that he’s devastated by the news of the axing and thanked fans of the show so there seems to be more to this than the ABC is admitting. No mention of what Steph Bendixsen is doing – he doesn’t mention her at all.

    1. My understanding is that both Steph and Nich Richardson chose to move on to other opportunities which should have been sad but manageable. It was the ABC’s decision not to move forward with a modified program so whilst yes, there is more to this than us mere mortals are likely to know, I think it’s an injustice to lay blame at Hex and Nich’s feet. Sure, if they hadn’t quit, things may have been different and I’m sure there’s a lot of guilt being felt accordingly. But who can be expected to stay in the same job forever?

  5. That’s a shame. As an adult gamer I loved the way they presented their reviews – in a humorous way with natural banter. Even if I didn’t care about a particular game, the segments were always entertaining.

  6. Absolutely devastated Good Game has come to such an unceremonious end. One cannot begrudge Hex or Nich for wanting to move on to new opportunities but the fact that the decision to axe the show was made by the ABC as a consequence is very disappointing. Good luck to Steph and Nick and I really hope to see the rest of the amazing team carry on with more terrific work. Thanks for 10 awesome years. End of chapter one…

  7. Clarification – Steph (Hex) and Nich were the two “key presenters” to leave.

    Disappointing to see it go after such a long time – my Tuesday nights now have a hole in it.

  8. That’s really strange. They said they were coming back and the website said it and everything. Doesn’t even get a final episode to try and finish things off?

    Anyway I think it a bit strange to hear the statement say they pioneered video game TV. Sounds like they’re saying they were the first to have a show about video games. I’m pretty sure there would have been stuff in the US and in Australia they weren’t even the first where channel 9 used to have a show called The Zone run on Saturday mornings in the 90s.

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