Talk Show’s Spinoff Revealed During San Diego Comic-Con

San Diego Comic-Con is the place to be when it comes to hearing geek-related announcements. Among the projects revealed on Friday was a spinoff of one of the internet’s best talk shows. G4 TV held a panel all about Xplay, the legacy talk/news magazine show that features video game review segments and discussions. While the network was showing off its upcoming sketch comedy series God of Work (a parody of God of War), it also dropped a surprise announcement of a new spinoff show, Retrobution.

Retrobution will be a name those watching the rebooted G4 will likely recognize. The name was first coined for a stream segment manned by Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil and Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez. During the network’s first few streams after it relaunched in late 2021, G4 featured informal stream blocks between its main series like Attack of the Show! and Xplay Live (now known as Xplay Plus). These moments would feature personalities interacting with chat sections on YouTube and Twitch as they live streamed video games. The “Retrobution” blocks featured The Completionist and Goldenboy playing retro video games like WWF No Mercy or retro-inspired games like Shovel Knight. After going on hiatus due to changes in G4’s coronavirus testing process, it now appears the segment is getting a formal show now under the Xplay banner.

You wanted it. So here it is.@GoldenboyFTW announces the return of RETROBUTION! #G4SDCC pic.twitter.com/j1oDfVWzb3

— G4 (@G4TV) July 23, 2022

The announcement came during a pre-recorded message from Goldenboy, who is currently in Copenhagen, Denmark, to host the VALORANT Champions Tour 2022 Stage 2 Masters tournament. “I did want to take this time to share with everyone that God of Work isn’t the only new thing that we were working on at G4,” Goldenboy said in his video. “No, in fact, we have something else in the works, something more retro.” After wrapping up his message, a new graphic then appeared on-screen that read “XPlay presents Retrobution.”

It’s unclear how Retrobution will change from its original form on the streaming block. It will likely be presented via livestream (with VODs available later), as with almost all of G4’s content since its relaunch. However, it’s worth noting that the hybrid network has been experimenting with pre-recorded content like its reboot of Arena and the Attack of the Show! spinoff Fresh Ink. 

the current mood in the G4 discord @GoldenboyFTW @Completionist pic.twitter.com/zMMKvyYYEs

— G4 (@G4TV) July 23, 2022

Xplay airs full episodes that include reviews, scripted segments and interviews on G4’s linear cable channel and its streaming offerings such as G4 Select on Pluto TV. Individual segments from those episodes are also available to watch via YouTube. The show also has a weekly live show, Xplay Plus, that follows a talk show format. Hosts discuss the latest updates in the gaming world and demo various video games live via Twitch and YouTube.